Solid indie rock (a la its 90's heyday) and lonesome country-ish tunes combine to deliver one of the strongest debuts I've heard in a long time. The midtempo rockers remind me a bit of Built To Spill, especially when it comes to the vocals. Some of the slower, twangy tracks like “I Go To the Barn Because I Like the,” “Monsters” and “St. Augustine” wouldn't sound out place on an Iron & Wine record.
There was a substantial article published in this week's Stranger to coincide with their show last night at Neumo's. I definitely recommend checking that out for a more in-depth look at the band. And you can bet that yours truly was in attendence at the show, but guess what? I was sick with the flu and had to leave after only three songs from Band of Horses because I couldn't stop shivering. Oh, what luck! Anyway, last night was the first stop on tour which will take them through most of the Western half of the country, including a spot at SXSW on March 17th. If I remember correctly, the band mentioned they'd be hitting the East Coast sometime after that. I urge you to see them without a fever.
Since the band's MySpace profile currently features my absolute favorite song from the album, “The Funeral,” here's another song to enjoy, the appropriately-titled album opener.
Band of Horses: