Since they first stepped foot onto the scene in 2006, Seattle’s Band of Horses has been a difficult outfit to compete with. An indie essential, they have a sound that is not easily missed; gentle and mournful what they have established is a comfort zone. Literally. You can’t help but feel at home listening to them. Their third effort, Infinite Arms, was released last year. They’re not pushing the envelope in any way; in fact they embody a sort of timelessness in that they don’t seem to age. Many bands tend to try too hard after the first effort and slump and then seek a sort of redemption with later albums if they don’t give up all together. Band of Horses has yet to experience this because they have yet to put anything out that deviates from what they’ve already established. And honestly, they don’t need to try. Their lyrical mastery is a driving force of the album. Each song, intricately contagious and melodically twangy, is charged with a subtle optimism that has the power to set the tempo for your day. Infinite Arms, though it received mediocre reviews, accused of a lack of oomph, is every bit a masterpiece as their previous efforts. It may still sit in the shadow of Cease to Begin, but it is not one to be ignored. It’s less arid and spacey than the first two, with more orchestral reverb and a rock sensibility to fill the spaces that left earlier songs hollow (even though that in itself is why many of their songs were so poignant to begin with). Songs like Blue Beard and the title track feel like they could fit right in with either of the first two albums while songs like Dilly and Laredo display much more of a pop appeal. If you missed this album when it was released, it’s not too late to pick it up. Listen to it when you fall asleep. You’re almost guaranteed good dreams.

Tracklist

1. Factory
2. Compliments
3. Laredo
4. Blue Beard
5. On My Way Back Home
6. Infinite Arms
7. Dilly
8. Evening Kitchen
9. Older
10. For Annabelle
11. NW Apt.
12. Neighbor

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Detlef Schrempf