Few bands have leapt from indie hype to major label success as effortlessly as Band of Horses. After the promising Everything All the Time (2006) and Cease to Begin (2007) yielded lead singles — “The Funeral” and “Is There a Ghost”, respectively — that found heavy recurrence in TV shows, movies, and mixtapes, BoH moved to Columbia and dropped the Billboard Top 10 selling, Grammy-nominated Infinite Arms (2010). 

By that time frontman and chief songwriter Ben Bridwell had tired of the band’s revolving door policy. Infinite Arms featured a fresh lineup, retaining only drummer Creighton Barrett. On board were two songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Tyler Ramsey and Ryan Monroe, with Barrett and bassist Bill Reynolds keeping rhythm. Considering their constant lineup shifts and embrace of commercial success, the retention of the Horses’ signature sound is remarkable.

“We’re suckers for the single,” says Barrett of the band’s increasingly lean, no-bullshit approach to songwriting. Band of Horses could safely be called Southern rock revivalists, but on fourth album Mirage Rock, they rarely indulge in the extended jamming genre kings like The Allman Brothers were known for. “I believe in a quick song ... these could have been even shorter,” Barrett adds.

Along with leader “Knock, Knock,” Mirage Rock has a good crop of potential singles; check out “Feud,” described by Barrett as “angular indie rock,” and though the drummer says the band “wanted to keep (the album) upbeat,” the gentler, Ramsey-penned “Everything’s Gonna Be Undone” should please fans of their more heartfelt ballads.



Ramsey and Monroe have proved themselves with solo albums, Ramsey was given his own track here and on Infinite Arms (“Evening Kitchen”), but Bridwell remains the group’s primary songwriter. Considering that, and the fact that some of Mirage Rock came from an aborted solo record, Band of Horses’ music is more communal than ever. Album producer Glyn Johns has worked with some of the biggest egos in rock history, from Bob Dylan to Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, but the analogue-recorded album sounds very much like five talented men working for a collective goal. Even songs Bridwell could have pulled off by himself (“Slow Cruel Hands of Time”) feature each member prominently.

The albums comes with a wealth of supplemental material. Fans get access to a vault of videos recorded during the sessions. “The cameras were hidden,” jokes Barrett. “No, it was actually our friend Chris Wilson. We hardly noticed him.” The videos are plentiful but brief, capturing moments that give a taste of the band’s in-studio process. It’s no Let it Be; though Barrett admits tense moments arose, as they always do, they had interest in offsetting Mirage Rock’s celebratory vibe. CD buyers will also get a 5-song EP recorded at the Sonic Ranch studio in Texas, featuring songs ultimately cut from the final album (including, curiously, its title track.)

Bridwell has (perhaps jokingly) suggested Infinite Arms was the “first” Band of Horses album. Whether he meant that as a literal play on the group’s name, or an honest assessment of his earlier material, there’s no question this solid lineup has kept them alive. On future albums he could widen songwriting contributions but on Mirage Rock, the collective contribution does everything it can.





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