No stampede's allowed

Before we get going on the number 11 artist, we need to discuss what I did over new years. I went down to philly to hang out with a questionable member of civilized society, mr. Andrew Grzybowski. We did sushi (more or less yuck for my texture loving palate), and then pretty much hung around philly for a very tame evening. In the morning there was fun to be had with a hearty breakfast of the biggest french toast andrew has ever seen, and off to the Mummers Day parade. Composed of "comedians" "fancies" and "string bands", the Mummers Day parade is essentially a mix of drunkenness and art. So it's very appropriate for the statue laden philly working class scene. There, we were accosted by a lawyer who was quite proud of his photography skills, and even invited our group up to see his pictures while we got warm. I think he may have been hoping to get andrew alone in a dark corner of the building to "read him his rights", but that's beside the point. He took good pictures of our group and of the parade and vowed to send them to us if we wanted. Stating he was going to stay till the end of the parade to catch the fancies and strings. Of course considering the blogging implications of such a technological opportunity, I grabbed his card. That way, andrew wouldn't have to show how giddy he was to phone call the lawyer, to discuss photo's over candlelight and fondue.
.
Anyway, he wasn't overbearing, but I felt like we had accommodated him by listening to his stories of grandeur involving his photographic prowess and his stories of parades gone by. So I emailed him, anxious to get a mixture of pics of our group and hopefully of the latter half of the parade (the best part), since we couldn't stay any longer, and I would have quite a nice New Years Eve blog to hang my hat on.
.
True to his word, and after 2 weeks of anticipation, the lawyer sent the photos..........The are (A)none of us, (B)none of the latter half of the parade, and (C)the ones he did take.....sucked.
So thanks for nothing you rat fink son of biscuit eating bulldog!
.


NUMBER 11: Band of Horses "Cease to Begin"- I am not sure where I picked up Band of Horses. During their initial release of the "Everything All the Time" I heard good things from iTunes and the indie music web scene. Intrigued, I iquired with my right hand music man, A.Grzylle who told me he liked them so far, but hadn't gotten super high on them yet. I twisted his arm to send it to me, which he did.
.
I liked the "Everything All the Time" album a lot. It definitly grew on me during a time when I wasn't downloading too many things and work was crazy. Comfortable indie music. So I picked up "Cease to Begin" right when it came out and it didn't dissappoint. A strong album from start to finish, it still has the signature Band of Horses sound, but mostly without the enormous swells that occured on their first album. "Is there a Ghost" and "Islands on the Coast"is the only one that has that BIG sound to it.
.
The fact is, these guys don't blow you away. Their albums are more of a jam session variety. They are fashioned after the slow down in the Seattle music scene and split up to create this album between the Pacific Northwest and South Carolina. You can almost sense a little more country on this album then the previous. Country guitars drawls and slight background banjo. This album is more introspective album than the first, focusing on elements like loss of sleep, yearning for small town security, nervousness about small town gossip, and questions about the innerworkings of fate.
.
The biggest thing holding Band of Horses back is that their sounds sound like a mix of other bands. Unfourtunatly, they kind of blend in with the less talented crowd even though they are the real deal. They use the echo microphone and it sounds like My Morning Jacket. Some of their melodies sound like the Flaming Lips. And for some reason, I think the way they compose sounds a lot like Rogue Wave, but I am usually wrong in this department. Somehow, I get the feeling that this often duplicated coastal echoey indie sound is like 80's hair metal in that they all kind of sound the same, but great in their own way. Anyway, you are sure to like this album if you like any of those bands I just mentioned. There is something both unimpressive and impressive about Band of Horses. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but I like this album a great deal because they make it work and stay consistently creative within their medium. Plus, now they all have sick lumberjack beards!
.
Song Samples: Is there a Ghost?, No Ones Gonna Love You
Amazon Page
Myspace Page