Band Of Horses
Cease To Begin

THE REVIEW

BAND OF HORSES AT A GENTLE TROT.

Repeating at the highest levels has never been easy for seasoned stallions used to gallop for years in racetracks. Imagine for a debut group in the charts, especially in times of very lean (skeletal, I'd say) conditions, having to follow up to a small pop/rock/folk classic like Everything All The Time in 2006.

Belonging to the glorious Seattle temple and its "Motown" (the invincible Sub Pop stable, a label on which we nostalgic and apathetic 30-year-olds shed a tear just by looking at the logo..) has managed to earn Band Of Horses the visibility, of the public and the press, that many indie bands do not have. Let's add their positive approach to music and the little things in life, and here we have the magic formula: light indie-rock with bittersweet tones, soft soothing melodies, a repertoire of short songs, a great poignant charge, well-polished guitars on display, effective instrumental lines. All accompanied by the bright vocals of leader Ben Bridwell (similar to the singing of James Mercer) and by a crystal clear sound, where American tradition and alternative culture coexist. With Cease To Begin, Band Of Horses try to reaffirm the promising impressions aroused by their debut, without thrilling the spirits; because in these 10 songs you certainly don't grasp the same intensity and inspiration. Rather, above my head, a pesky lightbulb often lights up: "self-satisfaction." No, you won't find a The Great Salt Lake, nor even The First Song. Although revived by the powerful opening of the single Is There A Ghost, the album struggles to find a precise identity and therefore ends up flirting with broken hearts and banality. Complicit in this are the fawning No One's Gonna Love You (i.e.: playing such hackneyed chords that compared to that, Coldplay looks like CERN scientists), Lamb On The Lam (In The City), a vaguely Interpol wave-nocturnal interlude, and the slow ballad Detlef Schrempf (raise your lighters high!). To raise the bar a bit, we have Ode To LRC, Young/Wilco brand country-rock, the soaring Shins in Islands On The Coast, and the electric Cigarettes, Wedding Bands, distant relative of Husker Du's She Floated Away. It closes with the delicate sleepiness of Window Blues, with a warm organ embracing autumnal notes.  

Conclusion: the bearded Bridwell and company have carried out an honest little task that will save them from turning to horse racing (as happens too often to too many young bands already on their second try), and Cease To Begin is not exactly the faded copy of the first album, nor a bad work. But there's the heavy doubt that leveling their style to broaden their audience, moving towards a more "pop" and crowd-pleasing side, is not such a brilliant idea in a world of fools.