Why Are You OK

Band Of Horses

Interscope, 2016

http://www.bandofhorses.com

REVIEW BY: Pete Crigler

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/07/2016

When I was a young lad attending college, I liked my music loud, fast, and heavy. I listened to the Replacements, Adolescents, Fear, The Suicide Machines, Anthrax, and everything else that came onto my radar. I had very little time for mellow indie rock; in fact, I tended to dismiss a bunch of it as crap. Eventually, I discovered bands like Interpol and My Morning Jacket and my mind opened up a bit. But Band Of Horses was a band that I completely skipped over and never paid any attention to. Cut to 2016 when they appeared on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” and I was mesmerized by their set. So, I was quite taken aback by this disc.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

The album’s intro “Dull Times/The Moon” starts off very mellow and the whole thing ends up working really well. The best thing about the band is Ben Bridwell’s amazing vocal ability. He really is a dazzling singer and one of the best voices in indie rock today. Produced by Jason Lytle of Granddaddy, this is one of the more unique discs of the year.

Unfortunately, for every good track like “Hag,” there’s something like “In A Drawer, which doesn’t really work all that well and ends up sticking out like sore thumb. The real draw is a track like “Whatever, Wherever,” which turns into a complete awe-inspiring track and just sounds so damn good! I still like a lot of my music fast and heavy, but then something like this comes around and just knocks the wind out of you. You must not have a soul if you are unable to love a song this good! It’s one of the most perfect songs of the year.

Something like “Barrel House” tends to be a bit weighty and that drags the record down a bit. But the closer, “Closer Even Still,” is a really great track and a nice way to wrap the record up. Even though I’m growing older and still like a lot of the music I loved growing up, I am beginning to expand my horizons. Band Of Horses has managed to pique my interest and curiosity in a great way.

Rating: B-

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