Anyone expecting to hear Band of Horses venture into a new direction on their third album will find themselves sorely disappointed. The recognisable higher pitched vocals, violins, soaring crescendos and slow tempos all remain in playing a significant role in the overall sound and structure of the record. However, this doesn’t mean that what they have produced is lacklustre;Infinite Arms is far from it.
Opening track Factory is a great introductory piece, with haunting violins creating an orchestral feel to proceedings. Slow, dreamy verses build into purposeful choruses, with drums and guitars meandering in and providing the song with a stronger resonance. Stripped down verses leading into more developed choruses are integral manifestations on this record and fans will recognise this style as one employed repeatedly over their past two releases. Evening Kitchen curtails the pace further as we are presented simply with lead singer Ben Bridwell’s exposed vocals and barely-present acoustic plucks which create the impression of a lullaby and duly relax the listener.
Those concerned about being bored by the calming nature of Band of Horses’ sound needn’t shun the album entirely, though. Several songs interspersed throughout possess a more upbeat tempo and heavier percussion (well, by these guys’ standards at least), creating a slightly more tenacious sound. Dilly’s repetitive and hasty drumbeat soon has your foot tapping and Compliments showcases a far more energised, electric feel. NW Apt. features vigorous guitars throughout that take you slightly by surprise, as it seems an unexpected trajectory for the band to adopt.
Slightly dubious lyrics let some tracks down, as they seem to have been slotted in to fill space and rhyme, rather than because they actually make sense. For example, ‘I had a dream I was your neighbour/about to give birth’ might be ok coming from a female vocalist, but even the higher pitch of Bridwell’s voice can’t distract from the fact he is a man and the whole idea is more than a bit bizarre.
The album certainly has promise and it’s admirable that Band of Horses attempted new and different approaches in their musical process. Dashes of country in some songs whilst hints of rock in others are testament to this, and definitely make for pleasurable enough listening. Unfortunately for the group however, it’s not quite explored enough to win over any new listeners this time around.
This review was originally posted on www.culturedeluxe.com
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