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Product Description
Review
Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin. The lucid and hazy sound of lingering shoegazer guitars textured with haunting vocals reverberates around the room. Your body floats upwards and you're transported in to a dreamlike state by Band of Horses, one of America's brightest indie hopes, with their second album Cease to Begin.
Band of Horses rose, in 2004, like the phoenix from the ashes, from heavy-hearted Carissa's Weird, formed by Ben Bridwell and Mat Brooke. The Horses in their current canter also include Rob Hampton (guitar) and Creighton Barrett (drummer), however Mat Brooke left in 2006 to focus on his other band, Grand Archives. The newly-formed band quickly gained attention from Sub Pop, after Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, a family friend of Bridwell, asked them to support his band on tour. Their debut album Everything All The Time was released in 2005, drawing musical comparisons with Neil Young, The Flaming Lips, and The Shins.
The difference between the new and the old album is distance, both emotional and physical. The last album made you feel fragile and scared; if you dared to hug someone you might start to cry and not stop. Cease To Begin brings optimism, contentment, and love, if you hug someone now you're likely to kiss them too. This new direction must be heavily influenced by the decision of band members to move from Seattle to Mt Pleasant, South Carolina, to be closer to their families.
The first song on the album, "Is There a Ghost", delivers like a medieval herald trumpeting the arrival of the king. The delicacy of sound come with the confidence and maturity of a band who have found their calling. The ethereal voices and crashing, gentle guitars are still there but with a stronger dynamic. As the album progresses there's no anticlimax, with songs radiating into a harmonized melting pot. Then, just as you get comfortable, 'The General Specific' hits and the tone changes completely to happy-clappy Americana, followed by 'Island On The Coast'; an instant indie dance floor hit. It finishes, much as it started, with the cascade of warm, atmospheric purity of "Marry Song" and "Windows Blues". Like a journey that has gone full circle Cease To Begin has truly come home, so just lie back and enjoy. --Jessica Braham
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Product Description
Smash 2007 album! Reverb-drenched rock 'n' cathartic country from the bearded US boys, now relocated to South Carolina. Includes "Is There A Ghost".
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Band of Horses are your typical Sub Pop style band in every positive sense of the phrase. They are a slightly folky, jangly, almost quirky band that offer up some great song writing and a short, snappy album for our delight. I love the two opening tracks and will skip back to the start to play them again before continuing with the rest of the album. This has an excellent booklet (something that is sadly getting lost with the prevalence of downloads) and this has some small postcards with various photos. The band have been compared to My Morning Jacket and they are certainly reminiscent of that band in places, but they also reminded me of the excellent Death Cab for Cutie in places as well and if you like either band then you may well enjoy this album too. If you enjoy other bands of the Sub Pop stable then give this CD a try and if you also enjoy good song writing and short, punchy albums then this is worthy of your consideration.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Great second cd from a great band, i have both their albums & have recommended them to a few friends who have praised them too.
Not a lot of people have heard of them, but i would watch out for them in the future. Brilliant!!!
You have to buy this for 'Is There A Ghost' track alone, absolutely wonderful track.
Not a lot of people have heard of them, but i would watch out for them in the future. Brilliant!!!
You have to buy this for 'Is There A Ghost' track alone, absolutely wonderful track.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
One of the most wonderful things about music is that if you miss something first
time around it'll still be there somewhere, poised to pounce, just around a corner.
Everything you never heard waiting for an accidental witness
and so many corners to turn in a lifetime.
For The Wolf, Band Of Horses' second album 'Cease To Begin',
is a very fine example.
As it happens a very, very fine example indeed.
The ten songs in this collection are spun into sparkling reality by
Mr Bridwell and his able cohorts with skillfully subdued aplomb.
Mr Bridwell's plaintive and strangely affecting voice is the
solid raison d'etre for my enthusiasm.
It is a truly beguiling instrument.
The songs are all good.
Melodically strong, uncluttered, sympathetically and efficiently performed.
'Is There A Ghost' is a strong opening track.
It's wistful opening subject evolving into a powerful two chord thrashing coda.
'No One's Gonna Love You' is another cracking tune.
The quietly jangling guitar and unobtrusive organ frame the vocal perfectly.
'Detlef Schrempf' is simply stunning. Bridwell's haunting voice
again soaring out above the relative simplicity of the song's construction.
The chorus is heartrendingly beautiful.
The hokey humour of 'The General Specific' makes for a lightweight
and amusing barn dancing interlude before the transitional bars of 'Lamb On The Lam'
launch us into the magnificent emotional mayhem of 'Islands On The Coast'.
Country flavours emerge again in 'Marry Song'. The vocal harmonies are delightful.
'Windows Blues' is another classy melodic highlight and worthy closing track.
There really isn't an ounce of fat or gristle on this great little album.
It's all good, lean prime beef and The Wolf, for one, is very happy to
have found his way to the feast.
Highly recommended.
time around it'll still be there somewhere, poised to pounce, just around a corner.
Everything you never heard waiting for an accidental witness
and so many corners to turn in a lifetime.
For The Wolf, Band Of Horses' second album 'Cease To Begin',
is a very fine example.
As it happens a very, very fine example indeed.
The ten songs in this collection are spun into sparkling reality by
Mr Bridwell and his able cohorts with skillfully subdued aplomb.
Mr Bridwell's plaintive and strangely affecting voice is the
solid raison d'etre for my enthusiasm.
It is a truly beguiling instrument.
The songs are all good.
Melodically strong, uncluttered, sympathetically and efficiently performed.
'Is There A Ghost' is a strong opening track.
It's wistful opening subject evolving into a powerful two chord thrashing coda.
'No One's Gonna Love You' is another cracking tune.
The quietly jangling guitar and unobtrusive organ frame the vocal perfectly.
'Detlef Schrempf' is simply stunning. Bridwell's haunting voice
again soaring out above the relative simplicity of the song's construction.
The chorus is heartrendingly beautiful.
The hokey humour of 'The General Specific' makes for a lightweight
and amusing barn dancing interlude before the transitional bars of 'Lamb On The Lam'
launch us into the magnificent emotional mayhem of 'Islands On The Coast'.
Country flavours emerge again in 'Marry Song'. The vocal harmonies are delightful.
'Windows Blues' is another classy melodic highlight and worthy closing track.
There really isn't an ounce of fat or gristle on this great little album.
It's all good, lean prime beef and The Wolf, for one, is very happy to
have found his way to the feast.
Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
fantastic Band
I only heard short samples of songs on CD so I thought I would take a chance on buying it turns out it was a fab CD so I have now listed them to my favourite bands and I'm hoping... Read more
Published 4 months ago by marilyn
'Cease to Begin' vinyl, by Band of Horses
The album itself is great, arrived in one piece.
Only just got here in the time it stated, regardless of an email being sent saying it had been dispatched almost two weeks... Read more
Only just got here in the time it stated, regardless of an email being sent saying it had been dispatched almost two weeks... Read more
Published 14 months ago by joannemcgaffin
Band of Horses, Great songs and a superb vocalist.
Simple, well crafted and arranged songs throughout this album, and an absolutely amazing vocalist like few others (especially these days!). Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lee Suffolk
a great 2nd cd
I bought their first cd a few months ago after reading about them while watching fleetfoxes videos.I dont think they are similar but they are bloody great and so I bought their 2nd... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. T. B. Watt
NOT amazing
First of all, this is poor and not a patch on the Band of Horses debut. To hear on release that this was the band's shot at the big time was of course a worry, and several months... Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2008 by Dougal
Give it Time...
Not being a diehard fan, and coming across this album the same way I found 'Everything' its almost the same situation... a few tracks that grab you straight off the bat.. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2008 by N. donovan
Packs a punch
I have not heard the first album, but I had heard the band performing songs from this album, live. 'Ghost' has a very 'haunting' melody and sets the listener up well for the rest... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2008 by I. H. C. Mellor
Excellent Band of Horses
Band of Horses are new to me I bought the albums after hearing them by chance. Excellent albums both of them. Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2007 by S. Anderson
What an album!
I first heard of Band of Horses through Zane Lowe's show on Radio 1 and have to say I was immediately interested in them, so i decided to pick up their new album Cease to Begin and... Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2007 by Mr. P. Richards
band of horses 2
Having loved the first album i was unsure of how they were going to top it. There is a destinct difference in terms of production (they obviously have had a few quid since the... Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2007 by S. Reynolds
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