Average Metacritic score 75 (24 reviews):

http://www.tinymixtapes.com/musicreview ... horses.htm

Band Of Horses
Everything All The Time (Sub Pop)
US release date: 21 March 2006
Rating: 90 (4.5/5)

reviewer: dave gurney

Prepare thyselves lovers of great Amerockana, your new saviors have arrived. They come in the form of Band of Horses, a relatively new Seattle-based group largely composed of former members of Carissa's Wierd. While that earlier band resolutely held to a restrained, delicate approach (and the resulting obscurity assured to such practice), this new incarnation has no reservations about rocking the house when need be. I predict that this will help easily place them in the upper echelons of indie rock and possibly break them to a wider audience.

The key component here is the vocals of Ben Bridwell. A gorgeous countertenor in the vein of James Mercer (The Shins) or Jim James (My Morning Jacket), it was hard for me not to break into a goofy grin when I first heard it enter the fray on "The First Song." Appropriately soaked in reverb, his voice conveys an undeniable vitality and exuberance even on the more melancholy tracks like "Part One," "I Go to the Barn Because I Like the," "Monsters," and "St. Augustine." This is an essential ingredient in making the sadder songs less depressing and more affirming. Still, my favorite moments are the ones that edge closer to rock-mode Springsteen, like "Weed Party."

To focus exclusively on Bridwell's voice would be a mistake, though, as the songwriting and musicianship are great strengths for the band as well. The songs are often patiently mid-tempo, but this never means uninteresting. The guitars alternately shimmer for more shoegazer moments and intricately amble for folk effect. The rhythm section excels at providing a solid backbone for the songs without ever overplaying. Not to mention the masterful production and mixing treatment that makes this album shine like a newly-polished gem. It's as stunning a debut as I've heard in a long time, and it signals that we'll be hearing a lot from these folks for years to come.

Listened to it maybe 3-4 times, didn't think it was anything special and deleted it.

overrated

doesnt break much new ground or anything but its enjoyable. should crack my top 20

Instantly fun and crunchy and then faded fast.

Still probably top 20 though.

i think the guy sounds so much like MMJ dude that it is hard for me to listen to sometimes. its not in my top 50, but there are like 3-4 songs on it that are just outstanding.

Awesome album; solid hooks - in my top 5.

this will make it into my top 20 if not my top 10.

Decent enough listen but I rarely go back to it. Might make top 20.

originally i wrote this album off......been listening to it lately. good, decent stuff - nothing groundbreaking.

should make my top 20 (16-20)

Yeah, but whereas I don't seem to put MMJ on, I keep going back to Band of Horses. Weird.

Love this disc. #7 for me.

Dig the hell out of this record. It's perfect at 10 songs and as good a debut album that a band could make IMO.

A record doesn't have to be groundbreaking to be a great record.

It's chock full of great SONGS. I can see myself pulling this one out a couple times a year and really enjoying it.


How does Sub Pop keep finding these bands?


"St. Augustine" is damn near perfect.

Thank you. I'd like to tattoo this on to a few peoples forearms around here.

definition of "meh" for me. i'd much rather throw on any of my mmj albums.

#136.

by the way, I also think that people who compare this band to MMJ aren't really listening too hard.

I still think (and have since my first listen) that they have more in common with Built To Spill.

This was a funny album for me, as I initially loved it and played it hard earlier in the year. Then I stopped spinning it for some reason. Fortunately, I put it on again recently and found I still really enjoyed it. I totally agree with the comments about it being non-groundbreaking because it isn't, however it still has some really good songs. I figure it will be on the lower end of the my Top 20.

I love this record...

oh musically totally. i just think the vocalist sounds a ton like jim james or whatever his name is.

Yeah, the singer does sound like the MMJ guy. The band itself is more a mixture of a lot of contemporary big-name "indie" stuff.

I liked this whenever I listened to it, but I never went out and bought it. It wouldn't have made my top 20 or anything, but it's probably better than about a quarter of the stuff I did buy.

this is probably true...but it's the only thing i really can remember about it after giving it 4 or 5 spins.

i gave this record a lot of spins, and after taking a lot of time away from it and returning, it's just really solid, through and through. top 10, maybe top 5 based on the above.

if you're a hater, listen to "the funeral" one more time and try to deny how awesome that song is.

i did the exact same thing. man, narrowing down my top 20 is just getting harder and harder. ugh.