Band Of Horses

There is some music in this life that is so comforting, so relatable, that you just want to crawl inside it to be reassured all is right with the world. The music on Band of Horses' Cease to Begin has quickly fallen into this category.

While the band has maintained some of the forlorn sound from their debut album Everything All The Time, there are a few less songs on Cease to Begin that make you want to sit in a darkened room with candles as you casually tear at your wrist with a razorblade. The album has a buoyant tone, forshadowed by the liner notes (for those of you who don't buy your music off of iTunes), which do not contain lyrics, but a series of postcardesque photos taken of still and animal life from San Diego and Mount Pleasant.

Cease to Begin contains far more stand out tracks than its predecessor, with particular regard to Is There A Ghost, Ode to LRC, No One's Gonna Love You, and Islands on the Coast.

The first single, Is There A Ghost, lulls its listener in with the endearingly whiny twang of Ben Bridwell's vocals. Ode to LRC also captures the characteristic languor of Bridwell as he croons, "The world is such a wonderful place." A few la-di-das inserted at the end give the song a lively air (well, lively by Band of Horses' standards).

The opening chords of No One's Gonna Love You are a throwback to the despondency of tracks like The Funeral and The First Song. Despite of the pace and sound of the song, the lyrics indicate a sense of bliss and contentment, promising its listener, "No one's gonna love you more than I do."

Detlef Schrempf, one of the most tranquil songs on Cease To Begin, is also the most lyrically variant. Other songs on the album rely on the chorus to bolster the content, but with Detlef Schremf, the chorus, "If we see you like I hoped we never would/Eyes can't look at you any other way/Any other way," is repeated with caution.

The most upbeat song on the album, The General Specific, is a folksy, rhythmic tune, with all the makings for radio airplay. This track transitions nicely into an instrumental interlude with the peculiar title Lamb on the Lam (In the City).
Islands on the Coast is a subconscious nod to The Shins, where BoH mélanges pleasantly melancholic lyrics with tongue in cheek up tempo music on what is their best song on the album.

It is safe to say without equivocation, Band of Horses has succeeded in creating a sophomore effort worthy of its predecessor, possibly even one that has surpassed it.

by Genna Rivieccio

Is There a Ghost on YouTube


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