Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

For starters let me begin by saying that I love the first Band of Horses record. I love it. When I first got it I was really into My Morning Jacket so it was right up my alley. However, I found that it took me a while to really get into it. The same seemed to be true for the second one. The reverb is back, as are the almost whiny vocals and the hints of country. New to this record: organ, 50's pop, percussion (hand claps, tambourine, bells, etc).

Cease to Begin starts fabulously with "Is There a Ghost" which is just as good as any track on Everything All The Time (except maybe the blog star "The Funeral" or my two favorites "Weed Party" and "The Great Salt Lake").

From there, the album becomes a little more somber. It is not as energetic as the first one and may take a couple of listens to get into. On the first listen "No One's Gonna Love You" really caught my ear as well as the playful Beach Boys-esque "General Specific." I have found that I like the album very much. Every song has a little something to it that makes it memorable. However, in true BOH fashion, the vocal melodies don't exactly stick the first time through.

Are the songs better? Maybe. Maybe not. Is the album more consistent and better themed? Definitely. The loss of one of the founding members during the songwriting and early recording sessions may have at first seemed disastrous, but I like the way it turned out. Now a trio, Band of Horses is out touring in support of their new album.

The final verdict: big BOH fans will really like it, moderate BOH fans will appreciate it as background music. I bought a hard copy. Maybe you should too.