Might not be the best sign that after listening to Cease To Begin a handful of times we were pretty convinced we were missing a couple tracks. Turns out Band Of Horses’ follow-up to Everything All The Time just lacks anything as rousing or epic as “Funeral” or “The Great Salt Lake.”
Actually, it lacks a lot more than that.
Cease is very pretty, but very slight. The album includes ten tracks, same as Everything, yet it feels much thinner. “There Is A Ghost” which has been circulating for a while, is far and away the best track, and it’s followed by another goodie “Ode To LRC.” Please don’t get too comfy with those guitar bursts, though, because after that it’s a more downcast affair. Downcast is fine. Mellowness is cool. Someone like Will Oldham can get away with intense minimalism because his lyrics (and, well, his amazing, craggy voice) can carry the tune. Ben Bridwell, on the other hand, lacks that sort of lyrical burst — it’s his reedy Doug Martsch twang that sells BoH’s best tracks. Fun to hear it shouting and soaring, even when he slows it down some, as on the sweetly emo (and catchy) “No One’s Gonna Love You.”
But then Cease loses itself, plodding from the faux country crooning of “Detlef Schrempf” to lullabying “The General Specific” (dig the “eyes can’t look at you any other way” chorusing, but the rest is a snore), Bridwell resorting to sighing his now-signature sighs against a downcast backdrop: not so moving. How’s about some Codeine heaviness? Red House Painters eloquence? The hushed melodies of ex-touring mates Iron & Wine? You certainly can be quiet and interesting (a thousand shy kids just nodded), but this isn’t. The hand claps and piano tap in “Lamb of the Lam (In The City)” help a tad by at least introducing a new texture, but not really.
There are other rockers (see “Marry Song” or thematically linked “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands”), but they also aren’t so detailed or interesting. So perhaps it’s not a question of speed? Devendra needs an editor; these dudes need more content.
Still, we do love the cover art.
Cease To Begin is out 10/9 on Sub Pop.
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I had a feeling this album would suck. Unfortunate.
I disagree with most of the above comments…I really like this one at first (and second) listen. It sounds a bit more confident and relaxed than the first record…its also a bit more straightforward and less “indie”
Its just one blogger’s opinion, decide for yourself.
i like the album, but after having it on in the background today, i had to do a double take when my itunes started playing everything all of the time. this album seriously feels like its 15 minutes long.
“islands on the coast” = bs
I feel the same way about comments made about the first few tracks, but I have to disagree with the rest. I liked how it was more accessible and that it doesn’t drone on endlessly like the last four tracks of EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME. I’d say it’s an improvement, maybe just due to track listing, but whatever.
Is this, though, the ‘maturing’ album…? Yes- it is more subdued, but I feel like it isn’t as out-and-out ‘we named our song funeral and are singing about death’… (a song which, is obvious they are tired of playing live…) As for ‘there are other rockers’ of Marry Song and Cigarettes, Wedding Bands… they are, in my opinion, the highlights of the album, and you chose to criticize the sleepers, then give an honorable mention to the rockers…
Is this, though, the ‘maturing’ album…? Yes- it is more subdued, but I feel like it isn’t as out-and-out ‘we named our song funeral and are singing about death’ (a song which, is obvious they are tired of playing live if you’ve seen them recently…). As for ‘there are other rockers’ of Marry Song and Cigarettes, Wedding Bands… they are, in my opinion, the highlights of the album, and you chose to criticize the sleepers, then give an honorable mention to the rockers…
a sendspace link would be relatively appreciated.
Three points for naming a song “Detlef Schrempf.”
this is the most negative “premature evaluation” ever. usually they read like a one-sheet from the label. i hate to be that guy, but could this have anything to do with the blog-lash (yeah, i just made that up. you’re welcome) they have undergone lately? i guess it goes to show what bad pr can do…
“no one’s gonna love you” have been a live staple for quite a while and i got chills the first time i heard them play it. it’s one of their best songs and it shows bridwell’s growth as a songwriter. but “emo”!? what the hell is that supposed to mean? really?! emo!?
speaking of “more content”– this is the weakest “Premature Evaluation” you’ve posted yet. It only contains a cursory mention of a few tracks…the write-up is terrible. How about talking about the music a bit?
Anyone who wants a legitimate preview or review of this album really should look elsewhere. If you liked Everything All the Time, you’ll find plenty to like here.
Perhaps Stereogum is still too busy jerking off to Sunset Rubdown to give this one a fair shake…
Are they really horses? In a band?
buy Sunset Rubdown instead of this shitty album
honestly, this album and the new sunset rubdown can suck it. also, this is very honest PE post, i’ve found some of the others very one sheet like, perhaps the new kevin drew as an example, he’s from BSS so it’s got to be good.
don’t worry folks, pitchfork will come along with your new favorite bands to replace BOH and SR and you’ll feel one again!
and speaking of pfork, there are so many haters out there but everything that’s popular today is brought to you, most of the time, by that website. if you hate it so much don’t buy or support the artists it supports, and if you do, shut the hell up, enjoy them for the one year until they or someone else tells you what ‘cool’ next.
did you hear that ‘the stills’ we’re signed to arts and crafts today? man, this is going to be your new favorite band…no songs, no presents and nothing to offer other than they’ve got a name and now it’s released on your favorite label, arts and crafts, the new major label for indie music. indie music is a sham, don’t believe any hype.
so, thanks to SG.com for being honest about this and letting me post this long ass message.
btw, have you heard the new stars album, man, that’s sucks too.
signed,
the hater.
I think that it’s just a band called Band of Horses as their name but not real horses : (
yea stereogum after sooo many ridiculously positive PE’s in a row this comes off a bit suspicious, especially considering how pleasant this album actually is… I actually found it much more digestable than EATT, which seemed to have abotu 3 great sogns and a whole lot of fluff… this is more of steady goodness throughout imo
on the other hand, i still havent gotten through that rubdown album yet. big fan, but wow, that thing is impenetrable
This premature evaluation pretty much blew. “No One’s Gonna Love You” is fucking great, and calling it “emo” makes me discredit this whole write up. i found this to be a really great record. sorry you guys are looking for more songs like “the funeral.” poor band, they tried something different, and they got shit on for it. this is retarted.
how can you discredit a website with no credibility? that’s like multiplying a number by zero.
The more I listen to this album, the more I like it. The track ‘There is a ghost’ is as good as anything on “Everything All the Time”. I think it would be fair to say this is simplay a more melow album – but that doesnt make it any less enjoyable.
weak songwriting — and, seriously, how is this band *not* emo? c’mon.
yeah, it’s not as good as Everything All the Time. I’ll need more listens but it seems like a 6.5/10 album. This album needed some fun a la Weed Party or Wicked Gil. Ode to the LRC and No One’s Gonna Love You are nice enough, but they feel more like tier 2 songs that nicely flesh an album out than the songs batting 2 and 3. Out of Detlef Scrempf (and yes, points for that), Window Blues, and The General Specific only the last one stands up to St. Augustine or Monsters, the similar songs from EATT. Lamb of the Lam was better live though. Is There a Ghost is the tits though.
Disappointing after the first listen, but I’m going to give it more chances.
After a few listens: I enjoy it, but I was never a huge BoH fan, considering I think Everything All the Time is the most overrated indie release of the decade.
This one, though… I like it. Less ambiguity, more songcraft.
Sweet.
disagree as well. This albums grows with every listen. It’s different than the first one, but overall just as good. This evaluation is the most premature yet, listen to the album more.
it needs more reverb
think the evaluation’s calling it a bit boring, but not necessarily saying it sucks? “Cease is very pretty, but very slight.” ?
Cease to begin sucks. Any interesting bit of the song seems to end just as it really gets going (as in the first two tracks), the rest is completely forgettable.
I’ll just keep listening to Everything All the Time
The song writing is much weaker due to the absence of the Mat Brooke’s help (now leading the AMAZING Grand Archives)…….face it this album is boring and sappy, however I’m really into “detlef schrempf.”
another disapointing album this year from a band i have loved…. *sigh*
I love it.
So there …
I really like this album. Not sure what you’re not hearing. Short, but sweet.
you guys are dumb…this album is dope-def gonna catch them @ terminal 5-fucking cmj bowery shows always 18+
So the best thing about Ben Bridwell is that he has a “twang” like Doug Martsch? How about this, the best thing about Ben Bridwell is that he invented a style of singing that knocked all those people who like this kind of country music dead, and he just made another record singing in that style. Doug Martsch is wry. Ben Bridwell is ethereal. Your analogy sucks.
How can you get through this entire review without once mentioning Jim James and/or Tennessee Fire, nor any other MMJ records, while also making the bald claim that Band of Horses ought to have “hushed melodies” like fucking Iron & Wine, a band who ditched “hushed melodies” three or four years ago, after one record, to grab some indie rock money? And yeah, Ben Bridwell should stop singing so loudly and at the top of his voice, that would make his sound a lot better. You make no sense.
What’s not to like about the lyrics, by the way, especially if you liked the first record? You say they’re “less detailed,” but I have no idea what you’re talking about.
I guess your only valid point is that we were all hoping it would be longer or have more songs. It does seem to end quickly.
“There is a ghost” haunts me with its awful poppy shite sound. It sounds like it was produced in 1992. Thats a bad thing in this instance. I havent heard the new album, but please tell me this isnt some awful turn for the Band o’ Horses.
@ the i&w comment:
that’s bullshit. it’s called progression.
reference; the beatles, bob dylan, pixies.
I have now listened to the album once through. There is no doubt it isn’t as good as EATT. That being said, that should be expected. Rarely does a second album compare to a classic “debut” like EATT. And yes, that was a phenomenal homerun album. Still haven’t grown tired of it.
That being said, that doesn’t mean this album sucks. It doesn’t. I still think it will be good and grow on me, it’s just clearly not on the level the previous one was. The only time I can really recall a second album comparing to a great debut is with the well publicized Neon Bible release. This is still a great band, and I think this is going to be a solid album.
Wait… You’re telling me that a band who’s earned its success on ripping off My Morning Jacket can’t muster up the tunes for a half-decent second album? I’m shocked.
t-Bone should kill himself. those lazy-ass mmj comparisons are so tired they make me wanna puke everytime i read them.
thank you ann. i’m so sick of the LAZY mmj comparisons too. well said. OOH THIS GUY SINGS UP HIGH! OOH HE’S FROM THE SOUTH! OOH THERE IS REVERB!
he sounds nothing like jim james [or james mercer...the closest comparison is definately doug martsch] and has been singing like that for a long, long time [look for charissas weird's cover of the graham parsons song 'sin city'].
with every listen, this album gets better. very very solid. it’s just too bad it wont get it’s deserved props because of all the AMAZING albums that have come out this year. this is a lazy premature evaluation.
the will oldham, codine, red house painters, and iron and wine mentions are completely irrelevant. how can you fault a band for NOT sounding enough like other bands (who are completely unrelated in sound to begin with)!? makes no sense guys…
the main complaint you provide is that the album is too mellow, which is both sophomoric and inaccurate. the only “mellow” songs are detlef and window blues and they are beautiful. there is less distortion overall (not that there was a lot on EATT), but i think you need to listen to the album again…
calling there is a ghost “far and away” the best track is also LAZY. have you listened to any of the other songs??? in the context of the album, it feels like more like a really good intro. songs like detlef, general specific, no one’s gonna love you, and window blues are very solid. very very solid.
hopefully people leave this album in their rotation long enough to realize how good it really is!
Right on Ann & Christian! The My Morning Jacket comparison is totally lame. Band of Horses suck it far to much to compare.
This album is a giant turd no matter how many repeated listens it requires.
“and speaking of pfork, there are so many haters out there but everything that’s popular today is brought to you, most of the time, by that website. if you hate it so much don’t buy or support the artists it supports, and if you do, shut the hell up, enjoy them for the one year until they or someone else tells you what ‘cool’ next.”
Okay so you get your music from where?
I mean the bottom line is that pretty much everyone gets their music from somewhere…it isn’t just bestowed upon us innately.
The mainstream fans go to MTV or the radio for the music they will listen to. Casual fans might go to their friend that likes indie rock. Those that are a little more involved might use pitchfork or a blog like stereogum. The only other way to ‘find’ music is to just happen to have been at a venue when the band played. I mean, why would you just show up at a band’s show if you’ve never heard of them?
The question is, since everyone gets their music from somewhere, what is the best place to go? I would argue that first, relying on pitchfork is about a billion times better than MTV. While all the music discussed on pitchfork could probably be called ‘indie’ (whatever that word means anymore), it is still diverse and plentiful enough that you could go on there to find new bands.
Granted, some people will listen to anything above a 9.0, myself included really. I don’t think there is anything at all wrong with that. I mean, Pitchfork has built a reputation for being very, very critical and as such, music that is highly rated by them is usually worth at least listening to. I don’t always enjoy it (case in point: hell hath no fury) but when it comes down to it going to pitchfork or stereogum is pretty similar to asking your music savvy buddy for some reccomendations: sometimes you like it, sometimes you don’t.
I love MMJ.
wait, that was a fairly negative review, so why is this album featured in the heavy rotation section?
I second the comment posted by Chris Davis.
I’ve always felt that lazy Pitchfork bashing was uncool and bashing those who look to them for music recommendations is even less cool.
Maybe it’s because I don’t live in a major city, but without Pitchfork and other blogs and sites like it, my exposure to new and interesting music would be quite limited. I can’t simply walk down the street to the nearest hip record shop or see a show every weekend, so P-fork is invaluable.
Plus, most of what they recommend is fucking great.
Case in point: Jens Lekman, Liars, Dirty Projectors, etc.
i love ‘lamb of the lam (in the city)’ and i think the rest is really good too. when i saw them here in australia last year they were really nice guys too, and they got massive respect from me for covering otis redding and not turning it into a complete abortion (which could have been easily done, considering his greatness) i’m kinda shaking my head regarding all of the negativity thrown these guys way.
RE: Chris Davis comments
That is exactly my point, a lot of people bitch about Pitchfork but read it every single day, get their new music fixin’s and then as soon as something doesn’t get the review that the fan was hoping for, they throw a hate down on the site.
I’m sayin’ make a f’in decision already and pick one or the other and stop bitchin’ about it. you either respect what they do or don’t read it but shut the hell up already!
I love going to pitchfork and reading it every day and learning about new music as it comes without having to do a bunch of research. Along with some other places as well.
The Hater.
I don’t even like indie but I love BoH and this album. It’s as good if not better than the first. Instantly accessible but still with layers to peel back as you go. Great vocals and solid songwriting – sorry if it’s too straightforward for some of you in spots, all songs don’t have to be abstract lo-fi whisperings about swans and pop tops.
You know my favorite thing? When people spend so much time on music websites that they actually start referring to a good review on Pitchforkmedia as “hype.” I remember when fellow music lovers would get angry when a previously little-known band would score a hit with a percieved divergence from a previous sound. A few years later, it got cool to bag on good bands who signed good deals with big labels. Lately, it seems that if you happen to get turned on to a band by a website that couldn’t possibly boast more than a fraction of the hits that YouTube gets in a day, you are a sheep, and your taste is subject to the whims of Big Brother. Quit being so myopic…you’re still obscure, nobody knows where you got your cool vintage jacket, and you can stop shouting at the few other people who actually care about music on fun (indie) websites like this one.
Hater,
You’re creating a false dilemma. I can read pitchfork every day, respect what they do, but not just mindlessly digest it.
As far as hating on the site when an album doesn’t get the desired review, I think that’s kind of the nature of really, really liking an album and wanting others to like it. Everyone knows the influence pitchfork has, and what a good review can mean for a band you like and want to see do well. But, I don’t think many people just totally shit on pitchfork once they don’t like this or that album as much as you’d like. There’s a difference between that and expressing frustration.
Either way, I shouldn’t have to choose between always loving pitchfork or always hating it, which is what your post suggests:
“I’m sayin’ make a f’in decision already and pick one or the other and stop bitchin’ about it. you either respect what they do or don’t read it but shut the hell up already!”
Detlef Schrempf was a ballin’ ass three point shooter!
Chris Davis, etc, “ok so you get your music from where”?
Check out music blog aggregator elbows: http://elbo.ws/
Pitchfork sucks, but I read it anyway.
Saw BoH @ a now defunct coffee shop as an opening band in Redding, Ca. with my wife and about 12 of our closest friends. They were great then despite being really raw. Saw them again a couple months ago at The Great American Music Hall in SF and they were equally great and really tight. I’m slightly bewildered by all the negativity in the indie scene. Bands like BoH, Stars, MMJ, etc….are all really great bands and they are all trying to move their sound forward all the time. As much as I love the Gang of Four thing going on out of the UK with about a zillion bands the US, Canada and the Scandanavian countries is much more interesting. Why bash?
If you don’t like what these interesting bands are doing WAIT until the next album, they’ll try something new.
This record is great.
And a negative write-up from this MTV-informed child’s blog only confirms its quality.
Shitgum is fucking 5 year-olds shit.
I agree with Mrs. Featherbottom. You guys are pissing up the wrong tree – this album is great.
I have to admit that I am starting to warm up to the Doug Martsch comparison now, but I still can’t believe that anyone could listen to these records and not detect the influence of The Tennessee Fire. It’s all over the place. Bridwell’s voice does not sound like Jim James’s voice, per se, but his melodies sound like James’s, not in imitation, just suggesting the influence.
I disagree with this review, I currently have all of the new album and it’s amazing. I’m a big fan of Band of Horses and I do agree this album is much more tuned down that Everything All the Time, but still it’s worth listening to and buying. My favorite is “No Ones Gonna Love You” and it might possibly be my favorite Band of Horses song of all time.
Enjoyable with a few inspiring tracks. Maybe, too country. Ben Bridwell’s voice is still great. I love its guitar parts. ‘Everything all the time’ is better.
Pitchfork is one of (if not) the greatest music sites.
‘Random spirit lover’ is superb!
Word RANDOM SPIRIT LOVER
i was expecting the worse with the album what with this premature evaluation, but it’s surprisingly good. A great follow-up.
i got a hold of this LP after alot of hoopla i heard about ‘em. now, im no indie newb- i got my ear to the ground. but with so much new music coming out you cant catch it all. but after a trip to the insound page i saw it as a top order so i figured lets give it a shot… yes, i liked the first track alot, but man it does reek alot of the 70′s vibe doesnt it? i mean you could slap FREEBIRD on this lp and it would certainly pass. with that being said, im not saying it’s not a good lp- but what am i missing here? i hear so much hype around this band and to be honest, i’m not that impressed. im not saying they’re not good at what they do. these guys have talent and can write a good song. ‘cigarettes, wedding band’ is a prime example of a stellar track on the album with a guitar assault that i would think the entire album should posses. that song just flows. but the rest of the lp is sort of a snooze factory…maybe i just expected something a little more. the whole alt country/southern rock/indie rock sound has always been hit or miss. Drive By Truckers seem to have gotten it right though.
thank you for hating this record—those of you who offer such criticism. It just means that your lame ass won’t be at the live show.
As for those of you who ask where do we get our music from if it isn’t forced down our throats by Pitchfork, who are consistantly off on their reviews in so many ways without apology, try a record store. That’s where I get my music from. I don’t need a half-assed hipster collective to define my taste.
And for the record, Cease to Begin is an amazing sophomore offering that deserves more than a knee-jerk review from a handful of amateurs.
Are you serious? This album is so good! Listen for yourself instead of trusting some of these reviews.
This album isn’t that bad, i am a huge fan of band of horses and thoroughly enjoyed their first album especially the funeral.
I personally like the new album because if it were to match the first album as much as you all want it to, i would get sick of it becasue band of horses would sound the same all the time, change is what makes a band good so cry a river
CAN SOMEONE SEND ME THE LYRICS TO NOBDYS GONNA LOVE YOU BY BAND OF HORSES?
I LOVE Band of Horses & think this new album is tops. I respect opinions & have always felt that music is a very personal thing to everyone. “No one’s gonna love you” gives me chills…
I guess the reason Aerosmith is popular is because people actually like them…blows my mind why anyone could/would but c’est la vie.
Thanks to all of you bloggers who make this all acessible. I couldn’t imagine listening to Green Day of some shite band all day due to lack of your sites…
i know this PE is old news by now, but something needs to be said about the fact that
THE LEAK HAS AN INCORRECT TRACK LIST.
the names are in the right order, but they are for the wrong songs. this wasn’t hard to figure out…pay attention…
for one, what you called “There Is A Ghost” (which you also claim is “far and away the best track” — dead wrong), is called “is there a ghost” [semantics, i know, but worth noting].
“Detlef Schrempf” contains the “eyes can’t look at you any other way” chorus, not “The General Specific,” as you said…besides…you couldn’t figure out that the song containing the lyrics, “go to the general store, for nothing specific” just might be the one called “the general specific? [in the words of seth meyers and amy pohler] REALLY?!!
again,
“The hand claps and piano tap in “Lamb of the Lam (In The City)” help a tad by at least introducing a new texture, but not really.” first of all, i totally disagree. second of all, you are referring to the wonderful “the general specific,” not the instrumental interlude, “Lamb on the Lam (In the City)”.
“There are other rockers (see “Marry Song”…”
i think you were referring to the “rocker” containing the lyrics, “islands on the coast”…this song is ACTUALLY called “islands on the coast”…hard to believe. i know.
“Marry Song” is actually the song with the lyrics, “I married my lover…” (get it…”marry”?) — the song you lazily accused of “faux country crooning” (and called “Detlef Schrempf”)…
i guess my whole point here is that the actual sequence that the band intended plays like a different album than what leaked. i think it’s a change for the better and it is worth pointing out that everyone has the songs mis-labeled on their iPods.
I think this album is very subdued but i prefer it to there first album which i loved.
Fascinating. I am always intrigued and amused how goddamn personally everyone takes everything, as if BoH wrote this album for you. Guess what? They didn’t. They wrote it because they love making music, which is evidenced amply when you see them playing live. They have heart and commitment to the music, and maybe not to all of your fickle palates. Sorry.
That said, I must throw my voice into this cacophony of dissent and say that I found “Everything..” to be a life changing album and I adore it rabidly. I was trepidatious about “Cease…”‘s release because I did not think anything could compare to how I feel about “Everything…” Well, guess what? I love the new album.
I was a little slow to warm to it, but after a few listens I found I could not STOP listening to it. It has a lot of depth, a lot of flavor, it is, however, a slightly different flavor from “Everything..” which I appreciate. It has a delicate sweetness, but is certainly not without the haunt and the strife that makes that sweet moments all the more poignant. My only complaint with “Cease…” is its short playing time, because I like it so darn much I really just want it to keep going.
While I doubt I can ever feel the same about this album as I do for its predecessor (mostly because it’s just so personal to me), I think it is a completely worthy follow up, a hell of a good listen, and I am glad I bought it to support these guys, and I am SERIOUSLY looking forward to seeing them play again next week.
And I really have to say I find “The General Specific” to be my favorite surprise on the album. This unlikely tune just JAMS. It’s awesome! BoH rocks and I am so glad that they and all the other rockers out there are playing. Why must we pit BoH and MMJ and I&W others against each other? The more music they are pouring out the better, as far as I am concerned.
Hating is so over rated….
To me it’s simple, if you like My Morning Jacket or any of the other bands they’re compared to, you just shouldn’t need to listen to Band of Horses, EVER!!!!! They play substandard shit that needs to be forgotten, and I believe that it will be once the masses, who are generally stupid when it comes to music, realize what utter crap it is. Please, I beg you all to get your heads out of your asses and listen to some good music!!