Cease To Begin

Performer: Band of Horses
Engineer: Phil Ek; Julian Dreyer; Jon Ashley
Producer: Phil Ek; Phil Ek
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: Audio Mixer: Phil Ek. Recording information: Avast Studios, Seattle, WA; Echo Mountain Recording, Asheville, NC. Photographer: Christopher Wilson. On 2007's CEASE TO BEGIN, its second album for the venerable Sub Pop label, Band of Horses expands on the dreamy indie-rock sound of its well-received debut, EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME. The product of considerable changes for the group--namely the departure of founding guitarist Mat Brooke and relocation from Seattle, Washington to Charleston, South Carolina--BEGIN solidifies singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell's status as the central creative force behind the ensemble. Even though it does nothing to allay frequent comparisons to My Morning Jacket, the record does further Bridwell's impressive songcraft, which shines on the chiming, widescreen expanse of "Is There a Ghost" and the jangly acoustic vibe of "Lamb on the Lam (In the City)."

Rolling Stone (p.120) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[L]ong on dreamlike, rootsy songs that top churning guitars with glacially pretty, reverb-slathered vocals....CEASE TO BEGIN is expertly made..." Rolling Stone (p.116) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007" -- "This music is simultaneously downcast and sky-cresting..." Spin (p.114) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Every sound lingers, and each stretched-out moment is welcome." Uncut (p.84) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he 10 songs here rely on slightly reedy and meandering country-rock. It's a sound that devotees of Crazy Horse or My Morning Jacket will find conspicuously pleasing..." Magnet (p.91) - "Bridwell and Co. nail the soft/loud dynamic better than any group in recent memory, and CEASE TO BEGIN is a fine, fitting return to familiar ground." Kerrang (Magazine) (p.47) - "For those with more eclectic tastes, CEASE TO BEGIN is an enthralling album..." Q (Magazine) (p.12) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "From the anthem-like 'Ode To LRC' to the sanguine finale of 'Window Blues,' this is beautifully paced and utterly beguiling."

South Carolina-via-Seattle indie-rock act Band of Horses emerged as one of the most talked-about groups in the genre during early 2000s. Their potent mix of Neil Young-style ragged guitar rock, slightly rootsy twang, and lush reverb-drenched production earned them immediate comparisons to fellow southerners My Morning Jacket; however, the band's second full-length, CEASE TO BEGIN, released on Sub Pop in 2007, proved Band of Horses to be distinct and talented tunesmiths in their own right.

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