Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Band of Horses
Cease to Begin
Sub Pop Records
Grade: A-

Developing national and international notoriety with 2006’s Everything All the Time, Band of Horses have become everyone’s favorite indie rock band over the past couple of years. With a move across the country and the replacement of a guitarist, BOH continue to gallop along with memorable Americana-flavored indie rock on their sophomore full-length Cease to Begin.

Initially created out of the ashes of Seattle’s Carissa’s Wierd – needless to say a bad name – the four-piece of Band of Horses presented their debut Everything All the Time for the hometown label Sub Pop. Some of it indeed paralleled the Shins’ indie pop catchiness, but it was also rife with Americana indie rock that felt more like it came from a hip southern college town than the overcast Seattle. And that resonance actually had more truth to it than initially thought. Turns out that in the time between Everything All the Time and the release of Cease to Begin, the core of Band of Horses, Ben Bridwell, Rob Hampton, and Creighton Barrett, moved home to Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. So, not exactly a college town, but still fits the general motif. The band member that they lost along the way was guitarist Mat Brooke who parted with the band to launch out on his own. With all that occurring, or possibly because it was occurring, Band of Horses managed to top their debut and offer one of the best records of 2007.

A couple of things, at least, remained the same for BOH with Cease to Begin – it was again produced by Phil Ek at Seattle’s Avast Studio (as well as Asheville, NC’s Echo Mountain Studios). And where Everything only hinted at Shins’ parallels, Cease to Begin is chocked full of them; and that’s a good thing. Opening on the slow mover “Is There a Ghost,” Bridwell’s vocals and BOH wisp along with ethereal effects before rocketing the indie rock powers to heaven. Catchy as all get out, “Is There a Ghost” is terrific way to open the usually dreaded sophomore record. Follower “Ode to LRC” is more angular and shushes with 80s pop rock riffs, while “No One’s Gonna Love You” moves in the same form as “Is There a Ghost” with indie pop brimming out of the top of its lid. On ballad “Detlef Schrempf,” the name of the former NBA player but no other connection, Bridwell flexes his lyrical prowess and adds a smart chorus to break potential monotony. Hand clapping kicks off the fun-loving “The General Specific” that shimmers forward though doesn’t crest to the magic level. After the short instrumental interlude “Lamb on the Lam (in the City),” BOH kicks up the intensity with the stellar “Islands on the Coast,” where again Bridwell’s vocals parallel the Shins like no one business. Well these boys are from South Carolina and in honor of that, they offer the countrified ballad “Marry Song.” Bristling against the rest of the album, “Marry Song” grows on you like fungus but here you don’t want to get rid of it. Cease to Begin closes on the harder though not magnificent “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands” and the soft rolling “Window Blues.”

Cease to Begin is a level above Band of Horses’ debut and one of the best indie rock albums of 2007, though not necessarily amongst the best indie albums ever. But, given their trajectory Band of Horses still have time to sort that one out.