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After 28 years I think I finally understand the adolescent female infatuation for horses. Horses are strong yet beautiful; loyal yet free. Picture a herd of wild horses stampeding down into a valley trying to outrun a thunderstorm only to come face to face with water too deep to cross. There's tension, panic, paranoia. Then the sun peaks through the clouds while the storm blows over creating that dramatic contrast of light and dark in the summer sky. Just like that, the mood changes. There's release, calm, comfort and a bunch of wet horses. It may not have been intentional, but the newest project from former Carissa’s Weird guitarists Ben Bridwell and Mat Brooke – Band of Horses – is aptly named.
Everything All the Time is grandiose but still welcomes you with open arms. Like the equine, it's worldly yet so very American. Equal parts gloomy Seattle melancholy and comfortable Midwestern optimism. Lovesick country through the eyes of urban lust. The sonic textures are exciting and new while comfortable and familiar. Right away, in the appropriately titled First Song, Bridwell’s vocals jump out at you. You're going to think My Morning Jacket as Bridwell’s atomospheric reverb definitely calls to mind Jim James’ southern wail by way of the Pacific Northwest a la Doug Martsch. All the while stopping off to say hello to Wayne Coyne and Sean Kelly (The Samples). By giving you something familiar at the start, Band of Horses hopes you hop in the saddle for the rest of the ride.
The second song Wicked Gil really got me out of the stable. When Bridwell claims to have “evil people to save me” you believe him, and hope they're there to save you too — whether that’s a good thing or not. The rhythm section drives Our Swords while some down home acoustic picking takes the forefront in the slow waltz lullaby of Part One. The Great Salt Lake is the album’s epic midway point. Whatever the trouble may be, Band of Horses can make you feel like everything is going to be okay. It’s a common theme on the record. Bridwell’s lyrics set against the backdrop of textured dramatic melodies and kick ass guitar work bring a sense of comfort among the turmoil of every day life struggles. There it is again — comfort. The feeling you get from a hug from your mother or spouse when your world seems to be crashing around you. Repeated listens bring you further into the experience. Eventually, you’ll feel like wrapping the band in one great big bear hug of your own. You get a sense that they can make everything alright because they, like all of us, have been there before.
The standout track is the first single The Funeral. It starts off slow and minimal, like the opening bars of Modest Mouse’s The Moon and Antarctica. The lone guitar behind the words “I’m coming up only to hold you under” carries you to places you never knew you wanted to go to before erupting into an emotional full guitar assault. Bridwell offers up some of the best lines on the record in The Funeral, as his own paranoia or pessimism is unrestrained even during the best of times. Like waiting for something to go wrong, or waiting out the last days of a loved ones life, Bridwell claims to be ready for a funeral at every occasion. I know the feeling. It’s completely human; completely familiar.
Weed Party is a fun up-tempo jam with an alt-country feel and even a pre-song “yeehaw!” In Monsters, the Horses break out the banjo while Bridwell offers the cover of trees to hide you from trouble. Brooke lends his wordsmith skills and vocal help to I Go To The Barn Because I Like The and the album closer St. Augustine. Brooke’s deep, quiet take on the lyrics compliment Bridwell’s lead. It’s as if he's almost singing along to the record – or how you hope you sound when you do the same. It’s a great dynamic, especially on eerily romantic lyrics such as “let’s bury ourselves and haunt someone tonite.”
Everything All The Time bridges the gap between the familiar and the unexplored. It’s an exercise in contrasts. Strong and beautiful, loyal and free. There will be a point in your life when you'll be glad you have this album to listen to. As weird as it sounds, I’m almost looking forward to it.
Band Of Horses : Everything All the Time Track List: 01 The First Song
02 Wicked Gil
03 Our Swords
04 The Funeral
05 Part One
06 The Great Salt Lake
07 Weed Party
08 I Go To The Barn Cause I Like The
09 Monsters
10 St. Augustine
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