Band of Horses had just taped their set on Conan O’Brien, and the quintet arrived a few minutes after 8 pm, totally relaxed and decided to have a good time, ‘We are going to play,… whatever, we are going to let our beards down’ said frontman Ben Bridwell as soon as he was in front of the mic… as if Conan was not already laid back!
The band has a new record, ‘Mirage Rock’ and the event at Space 15 Twenty, organized by Amoeba across the street, and sponsored by ‘Rock the Vote’, had attracted a good crowd, but the guys from Band of Horses were not decided to over-promote their latest effort, they first wanted to have fun, play old time favorites and yes, a few from the new record, without pushing it too much in the face of the crowd, they were rather eager to please everyone there.
The music captured that ‘Americana’ feeling without overdoing it, the high-pitched vocals were harmonizing with each other at each song and they had catchy-enough choruses to make people tap their feet and sing-along. They were alternating upbeat songs with sadder ones, because 'not all tunes can be party songs’, but all their songs had a sort of familiarity for me despite my lack of familiarity with the band. Iman told me they sounded like My Morning Jacket, and I would agree,…with a touch of Fleet Foxes at times,… but aren’t these bands harmonizing like Crosby Still & Nash for example, did before them? The 70s folk band was indeed constantly in my mind when listening to Band of Horses’ harmonies, especially because the set was acoustic, revealing more their voices,… even the drumming was contained, soft and discreet behind their multi-layered guitars.
A few guitar solos, some good humor, and a totally unassuming attitude, it was difficult to not like them, even though they weren’t breaking any grounds….Just take ‘How to Live’ off their new record, the song had this soothing melody and comfy atmosphere, it sounded like an oldie folk that would fit you right away like a comfortable old pair of jeans, or take the pretty melodies of ‘Long Vows’ or ‘Slow cruel Hands of Time’ sung in borderline falsetto, they screamed Neil Young until you would really listen to Neil Young… funny, how all these bands can evoke the vague idea you have of the masters, which suddenly vanishes when confronted to them, may be Band of Horses shouldn’t have called their album ‘Mirage Rock’…
In the crowd, there were a lot of happy smiling faces but everyone was calm when listening to their summer night serenades and porch ballads, and overall the atmosphere was,… just friendly if you see what I mean: there wasn’t a girl screaming to reach the stage, or even people pushing to be in the front,… but exception of a girl on my left who shouted a song title, ‘No One’s gonna love you’ and got her wish fulfilled.
‘It feels so good’ said Bridwell at several reprises and that was the point of the night, songs that make you feel good but don’t touch you more than at the surface, may be less Crosby, Still, Nash and Young, and more the Eagles unfortunately… Still, they ended up their set with ‘Is There a Ghost’ off their 'Cease to Begin’ album, ‘a weird one to play acoustic’, as Bridwell said, and it was totally Band of Horses stuff this time.
Setlist
Compliments
Motor
Laredo
Marry Song
Older
How to Live
Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
Writers
Long Vows
Everything’s Gonna be Undone
No One’s Gonna Love You
Slow cruel Hands of Time
Weed Party
The Great Salt Lake
Is There a Ghost
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