Categories : Country + Western, Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3 / 5 Reviewer: Michelle Kennedy |
Close your eyes. Imagine your favourite lover. The way they smell and taste; the sound of their breath in your ear. You haven’t seen them in a long time and when last you saw them they were near perfect. They kiss you again after all this time and those memories come flooding back. You feel a charge of excitement all the way through your fingertips and things progress much like you expected. At the end you lay there, feeling as though something is missing. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but something is different… That lover is Band of Horses, and that disappointing evening is their surprisingly disappointing new release, Infinite Arms.
Infinite Arms is not bad. It’s everything a fan of Band of Horses would expect: excellent song writing, perfectly placed strings, a generous helping of sentimental country-inspired imagery and Ben Bridwell’s beautiful voice ringing through it all. Phil Ek remains on board as the band’s go-to producer. So what’s different? Has the switch from Sub Pop to the Columbia Records made a difference to the sound of the album? Has a modicum of fame ruined the intensity of the band? No. It just feels different. There is a different energy to this album – or rather, a lack of energy. It no longer feels like Bridwell is desperate for you to hear his songs; no longer desperate for you to reach out and touch the glimpses of perfect songwriting found on Cease to Begin and Everything All The Time; no longer desperately seeking…anything. Infinite Arms sounds like it either has all the answers or it’s just stopped looking for them.
But Band of Horses’ previous two releases weren’t an accident – this is still an elegant album, full of spectacular moments. There are two standout songs: ‘Neighbor’ is heartbreaking, and ‘NW Apt.’ will make you long to live along the rainy west coast. These beautiful songs remind us what Band of Horses can be and give us hope that Infinite Arms is nothing more than a fibrillation. Close your eyes. See that favourite lover? They will be back.
