Band of Horses
Infinite Arms
(Columbia Records)
Melodic and ethereal, Infinite Arms, the new album from Seattle’s Band of Horses, embraces their tender side blending a beautiful sonic ambiance with their down-home, southern, alt-country sensibilities for a magnificent album. The 12 song release is reminiscent of the great album-oriented rock classics of the 70’s, a rarity in the age of single song iTunes downloads. There are some knockout tracks on the album such as: the sublime “Evening Kitchen†with its sweet multiple vocal tracks and the introduction track “Factory†which sets the album’s tone perfectly but in reality the album as a whole might be stronger than any of its individual songs.
One notable development in the album is the band’s vocal prowess led by Ben Bridwell’s confident smooth harmonies which are more complex in songs like “Blue Beard†and add consistency to the album along with the familiar graze of echoed guitar. As the album continues the tempo follows with songs like “Dilly†which has a fun, almost 80’s am radio feel due to the keyboard and in “NW Apt.†which goes for an all out heavy guitar rock sound helping to setup the album’s closing track “Neighbor†which is like a microcosm of the album beginning with soft vocals and piano which lead into a full-bodied electric ending with organ and guitar. The album really secures the band’s place as one of the musical heavyweights of the current music scene and is certainly one of the year’s best.
