band of horses

 

So, I’m like the last dude to find out about these guys, but they’re freaking great. I hear a ton of influences, or unconscious reminders other bands: early Neil Young, Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Jeff Buckley’s backup band, Interpol’s song structure, The Shins, amorphous “Southern Rock”, Poor Old Lu, Sunny Day Real Estate….

I like that the songs are unpredictable, the lyrics are interesting, and singer Ben Bridwell does cool stuff with his voice and his singing tempo. They don’t seem to be a parody of anything, although they remind me of tons of stuff I like in other bands. Something is oddly familiar about their sound, even though I’m hearing a lot of songs for the first time. I definitely want to keep up with them.