eMusic Review
On Everything All The Time, Band of Horses' shimmering debut, vocalist Ben Bridwell's high, lonesome howl felt frantic, heartbroken: "At every occasion, I'll be ready for the funeral," he promised, slamming a guitar. Infinite Arms, Band of Horses' third album, is the product of a very different band (Bridwell is the only founding member left) and, maybe more importantly, a very different Bridwell. On the swooning opener "Factory," he bids a sheepish farewell to all that angst: "Looking back now I think it's finally time for me to laugh about it," he croons. "Time gets wasted in this misery."
Infinite Arms is no less earnest than its predecessors, but Bridwell sounds peaceful and unhurried here (on "Neighbor," his plaintive vocals even evoke Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, indie-rock's reigning Whisper King). Rockier outbursts have been toned down in favor of dreamy, California-style pop ("Blue Beard" feels like it came straight from a bungalow in Laurel Canyon), and for the first time, Bridwell nods to Brian Wilson more frequently than he does Neil Young. There's a pleasant winsomeness to these tracks, which are nostalgic in a quiet, easy way (like, say, flipping through a high school yearbook, or spending… read more »
