Cease To Begin

AlbumOct 09 / 200710 songs, 34m 54s
Indie Rock Folk Pop
Popular

2007’s *Cease to Begin* is a melodic treasure. The tight country harmonies of “Marry Song,” the swooning ‘60s-to-‘90s shoegazer pop of “No One’s Gonna Love You” and the ominous, haunting anthemic riff of the album’s opener “Is There A Ghost” illustrate the group’s far-reaching range.

Released in March of 2006, Band of Horses’ debut Everything All the Time propelled the band from early shows opening for friends Iron & Wine, to playing on The Late Show with David Letterman by July, and being nominated as one of ten finalists (along with Joanna Newsom, Beirut, Tom Waits, and, the eventual winner, Cat Power) for the Shortlist Music Prize for that same year. The record also received celebratory press in Spin, Entertainment Weekly, NY Times, Harp, Billboard, Pitchfork, Magnet, NME, Uncut, and a slew of others. For a lot of reasons, Cease to Begin is the perfect title for this new record. Though they worked with producer Phil Ek again, as they did on Everything All the Time, much has changed for Band of Horses between the fairly recent then and now. Band members have come and gone, including Mat Brooke, who left to pursue other interests and his own band. Core members Ben Bridwell, Rob Hampton and Creighton Barrett moved from Seattle to Mt. Pleasant, SC, to be closer to their families. And, close friends and family have come and gone—some far too early. Necessarily shot through with these experiences, the songs on Cease to Begin are strikingly beautiful, if less elliptical and more straightforward, dealing with the reconciliation of attachment and detachment, the strength that’s found through suffering, and the understanding that we are as significant as we are insignificant. It’s also a great rock record.

7.7 / 10

A geographical move (from the Pacific Northwest to the Carolinas) and a more settled, comfortable sound both seem like logical progressions for the Sub Pop band, who here go for texture and shade over size and scale.

A-

Southern rock used to mean stars, bars, blues, and beer, but young turks like My Morning Jacket and now Band Of Horses have added sweetness, sadness, dreaminess, and weed to the mix. (Maybe Southern man doesn't mind having Neil Young around, after all.) Principal member Ben Bridwell recently moved back to his home…

7 / 10

It was the sleeper hit of 2006. Everything All The Time was one of the most blogged about albums of that year, a good ole fashioned word-of-mouth success. Band Of Horses had managed to create the perfect blend of the reverb drenched vocals of My Morning…

Check out our album review of Artist's Cease to Begin on Rolling Stone.com.

When Band of Horses surfaced in 2006 with Everything All the Time, the band's rugged take on rock & roll drew quick parallels to My Morning Jacket and early Neil Young.

8 / 10

When Cease to Begin starts, and you hear the opening notes to

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6 / 10