Band of Horses Opens Infinite Possibilities

After nearly two and a half years in the making, Infinite Arms reveals some noticeable advances in Band of Horses’ already expanding creativity.  Appropriately, the five-piece group took this creativity and ran in new directions.  Just before the release of their last album Cease to Begin, the band relocated from Seattle to lead singer Ben Bridwell’s native South Carolina; and this new physical direction inevitably brought about new musical directions.  Band of Horses has abandoned their catchy indie folk roots for a more wholesome Dixie drawl.  Their third album carries a brooding – almost homely – feel to it.  Written by Bridwell in a cabin in the Minnesota wilderness, the dozen songs making up Infinite Arms fluctuate between nagging sadness and giddy hopefulness.

A look at perhaps the worst track of the album, “Evening Kitchen,” ironically displays just how far this band has come.  The song is at best heartfelt and at worst just mediocre, not necessarily skippable though; this speaks volumes of how much effort Band of Horses has thrown into this one release.  The songs with the most country influence include “Factory,” “Older,” and “Neighbor.”  The Southern undertones strangely seem to add to the songs’ quality instead of taking away from it.  Clear splits from the widespread melancholy are “Dilly” and “NW Apt.”  These tracks keenly echo the group’s alt-rock origins, forming distinctly optimistic breaks.  One song sticks out for odd reasons; it is a bit difficult to take “Blue Beard” seriously when the polyphonic breakdown sounds too much like the hilarious Anchorman rendition of “Afternoon Delight”.  The all-important best song though is a tossup between the first single, “Compliments,” and the title track, “Infinite Arms.”  Although the former is catchier and better written, the layering techniques and genuine nature noises throughout the latter show telltale signs of higher production skills and focus.

Formerly insulted as “Fleet Foxes plus reverb,” Band of Horses can now claim a truly unique sound.  Any listener can hear in this new sound a heightened love for nature.  These five men are no tree huggers, but with their move to the South came a deep harmony with all things outdoors.  The fact that the band assigned a separate Chris Wilson nature photograph and hand-drawn illustration for every single song exhibits their fresh attention toward image and detail.  With focus and natural talent comes amazing results.  Although not infinite, Band of Horses’ abilities will take them far.

Needtobreathe Concert Review

Mark my words, or rather my wife’s words: Needtobreathe won’t stay “Christian” very long. Their last two albums were released by Word Records and Atlantic Records, both owned by Warner Music Group. So, technically the band is not solely “Christian” even now, but nonetheless the statement still holds. This is not to say that the band members won’t remain followers of Jesus Christ. It is more a commentary on CCM as a whole. It sucks. But there is hope and that hope is Needtobreathe. They told the 1,000 or so people in attendance on several occasions that they were a rock band and they proved it repeatedly. Thus, word will get out and these five guys will eventually have a following of people who don’t sit in pews and carry Bibles.

We arrived in the middle of their first song, “The Outsiders,” and they were already jamming. Two electric guitars, one bass, one set of drums, and a rocking keyboard. It wasn’t a creative mix of instruments, but great googly moogly did they mix well.

They have been a band for nearly eleven years now and it showed. They didn’t talk much, except to thank the audience. Appreciation was expressed for the attendance because as Bear Rinehart said, “We’ve played plenty of shows with eleven people.” The band’s maturity was something that might go unnoticed by a novice show attendee, but it was obvious to anyone who has seen one too many immature artists pop off about politics, spout some ridiculous joke, or just mumble about something because he or she feels that its artsy. Thankfully, none of that was on the menu. Needtobreathe simply played and played well. Their timing was spot on, maybe save one instance in a jam session. The fact that they nailed nearly every transition and tempo change was a testament to their maturity and skill as musicians because they changed pace a fair amount of times. They still had to look at the drummer for the ending blasts, but I got the idea it wasn’t so much for timing as it was that they were just communally experiencing rock music. Either way, they killed the beginning, middle, and end of every song. What more do you want of a rock group?

They covered The Beatles and Ben Harper and put them into one medley: “Better Way” and “Get Back.” The Beatles cover was a nice throwback; the Ben Harper inclusion made me smile for the next three songs. I’m always glad when artists, especially Christian, pay homage to talented artists. And let’s be honest, no one is more talented than Mr. Harper.

The most captivating song of the night, however, was, as expected, “Washed by the Water.” I wasn’t looking forward to it leading into the night because I knew it was their most famous song. It’s like John Mayer playing “Your Body is a Wonderland;” it’s cliché and gets all the irreverently annoying eighth grade girls to scream. And Christian eighth grade girls are even more irritating. All that said, as the night progressed I realized that these were musicians and a simple crowd-pleasing, generic performance of the song wouldn’t be enough. Sure enough, they saved it for last and belted it sans sound system. He sang, “Daddy was a preacher,” then half the crowd started singing along and the other half shooshed them. “No reason to get hostile with anyone,” Rinehart said as he stopped singing. “But, I can’t sing over all of you so shut up.” (jokingly, of course)  And they did, for the most part. He began again. Two acoustic guitars and just Rinehart’s voice pounding out the words. Notes were strained and sometimes hard to hear in the back, but that little chapel’s roof got blown up by one man’s unamplified voice. It was soul and it was real.

By the way, Needtobreathe is a blend of Kings of Leon and Band of Horses. If you don’t believe me, buy a 12 dollar ticket to their show.

Pandora and Her Music Box? Not For Much Longer…

Well the web is all giddy with rumors that online internet radio giant Pandora may be forced to turn out all the lights and go home. The service has been free and I’ve taken advantage of the wonderful music it has bestowed upon me many a time. But to finally think about it’s mortality, and to think that it won’t last forever? AGH!

The Copyright Royalty Board last year decided that the fee to play a music recording on Web radio should step up from 8/100 of a cent per song per listener in 2006 to 19/100 of a cent per song per listener in 2010.

Multiplied by the millions of songs and thousands of listeners Pandora serves, that means the company will have to pay about $17 million this year, Westergren said.

[washington post]

The internet is serious business, and if they must take away my precious Pandora then I suppose it must happen. But today I want to reflect upon all the good Pandora hath brought me over the span of about 2 years.

Albert Hammond Jr.

Albert Hammond Jr.
I first heard the song “Everybody Gets a Star” while borrowing a computer from my church. I immediately rushed to iTunes and got the whole album. This is one of my favorite artists of all time, and it’s wonderful music.

Albert Hammond Jr. – Everyone Gets A Star (removed 2/13/09)

As Tall As Lions

Some of the most beautiful soft melodies I’ve ever heard. I first heard the song “Acrobat” while letting pandora explore some new genres. This is the kind of music you always love to discover.

As Tall As Lions – Acrobat (removed 2/13/09)

Band of Horses
I wasn’t ever a really big BoH fan until I heard some great tracks off their first cd via Pandora. I really connected with songs like Great Salt Lake, and Our Swords. My all-time fav track will always be No One’s Gonna Love You More (see Best Albums of 2007)

Band of Horses – The Great Salt Lake (removed 2/13/09)

Embrace

Embrace

A band I originally discovered via an iTunes single of the week, I never heard another song by them until Pandora. This has sealed them in my permanent Top 10 of bands that shall always be on my iPod.

Embrace – Gravity (removed 2/13/09)

The Essex Green
I only have the one song by them, but gosh dang I sure do love jamming out to it.

The Essex Green – Don’t Know Why You Stay (removed 2/13/09)

The Gugenheim Grotto
I heard this on Pandora, and then bought it on a compilation cd from Starbucks. The song rocks, and Starbuck’s compilations do too. This band is amazing

The Gugenheim Grotto – Told You So (removed 2/13/09)

The Hot Rocks
I really like one song by this band, it’s their only instrumental track. Reminds me of a much rock-ier version of Explosions in the Sky.

The Hot Rocks – Last Day of Summer (removed 2/13/09)

The Jayhawks
This song does exactly what it says it’s gonna do in the song, it’s gonna make you smile. The band will continue to do the same if you keep listening to their beautiful tunes.

The Jayhawks – Smile (removed 2/13/09)

Longview

Longview
This is my new life song. I love it. I listen to it on repeat. I’ve only heard this one song by the band. One day I’ll move on, but I’m still cherishing this one.

Longview – If You Asked (removed 2/13/09)

Muse
Another band I didn’t know how much I liked until Pandora wouldn’t let me skip again that hour. I really like Muse. Partly because I downloaded a Muse song for Rock Band. It’s tons of fun to play.

Muse – Hysteria (removed 2/13/09)

Nada Surf
The name was always familiar, but now it’s burned into my brain. I love this band. Their music is just… perfect? I love the song “Popular”, it is unlike any song i’ve ever heard. Ever.

Nada Surf – Popular (removed 2/13/09)

New Atlantic
For a few weeks I just couldn’t stop playing this song, maybe if you listen you’ll understand why.

New Atlantic – Safer Times (removed 2/13/09)

Pernice Brothers
Another band whose songs would not stop playing in my head. Pandora played them continuously, problem solved.

Pernice Brothers – Conscience Clean (I Went To Spain) (removed 2/13/09)

RJD2
Beautiful hip-hop melodies. I only like the instrumentals, but those are awesome.

RJD2 – All For You (Instrumental) (removed 2/13/09)

Rooney
I LOVE POP MUSIC. Not normally, but these guys do something that makes me feel like a 6th grader listening to pop music on the radio all over again. Perfect pop rock is the key to my heart.

Rooney – Tell Me Soon (removed 2/13/09)

The Slip

The Slip
The best song I’ve ever got from anything. This song is my gamechanger when I need a pick me up. It is my powersong. Plus, they have a song in Guitar Hero I, how awesome is that.

The Slip – If One of Us Should Fall (removed 2/13/09)
The Slip – Even Rats (removed 2/13/09)

If this is goodbye, I will miss you Pandora.
If this is ta-ta-for now, then don’t be gone long.

I hope your ears are as saddend as mine. Ω

Best Albums of 2007

i realize that i am extremely late on this, but i think it’s ok because i just started this a couple months ago. plus i feel like i need this much time to process. had i made this list back in january, a couple of these well-deserving albums would have been left off the list. so here it is.

10 Wilco – Sky Blue Sky

like most great albums this one took a little while to grow on me. but i am glad i gave it the time, because i have definitely found some great gems on this album. if you love wilco already just listen and enjoy. if not i suggest you see them live, it will surely help you to appreciate this album. at least it did for me.

wilco – hate it here (removed 2/13/09)

9 Beirut – Flying Club Cup

balkan music at its best. seriously. if you have never listened to this one man band you are missing out. each track has just gorgeous horn and string arrangements, and condon’s voice accompanies the music so well.

beirut – in the mausoleum (removed 2/13/09)

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