Cease to Begin, Band of Horses, Music CD

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Cease to Begin


1	Is There a Ghost 2:59
2	Ode to LRC 4:16
3	No One's Gonna Love You 3:37
4	Detlef Schrempf 4:28
5	The General Specific 3:07
6	Lamb on the Lam (In the City) 0:50
7	Islands on the Coast 3:34
8	Marry Song 3:23
9	Cigarettes, Wedding Bands 4:35
10	Window Blues 4:01

Biography

Editorial Reviews

When Band of Horses surfaced in 2006 with the cathartic Everything All the Time, the band's rugged take on rock & roll drew quick parallels to My Morning Jacket and early Neil Young. That's mighty nice company for a young band, but co-founder Mat Brooke nevertheless left the lineup that same summer, choosing to blaze his own trail with Grand Archives instead. Ben Bridwell, Brooke's musical cohort for nearly a decade, was left in control of Horses -- a daunting position for the former Carissa's Weird bassist, but one that ultimately resulted in a sophisticated, mature, and altogether superior follow-up. Cease to Begin is the responsible adult to Time's reckless teenager, with Bridwell pitting his high, clear tenor against backdrops of swirling indie rock and campfire singalongs. While tracks like "Weed Party" showed the band having harmless (albeit vaguely adolescent) fun on their debut, the good times on Cease to Begin are more grown-up: a lo-fi, foot-stomping pop ditty ("The General Specific"), a brief interlude of instrumental watercolors ("Lamb on the Lam [In the City]"), a foray into twangy country ("Marry Song"). Those looking for more anthemic rock will gravitate toward kickoff track "Is There a Ghost," where the guitars are loud and Bridwell's vocals are candy-coated in thick reverb, but Cease to Begin shines it brightest under the twilight glow of "Detlef Schrempf." Historically, Schrempf was a German-born NBA basketball player with killer three-point accuracy -- and while that's certainly an odd choice for a song title, it's easy to forget as drums beat an appealingly lazy rhythm beneath Bridwell's falsetto. Who knows whether he's singing to a hometown, a loved one, or his favorite member of the Seattle SuperSonics? It's still a thrilling listen, and the subtle humor hints that Band of Horses isn't growing up too quickly. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Listener Rating:
Ratings: 7Reviews: 3
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Cease to Beginby Anonymous

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January 30, 2008: The first cut, "Is There A Ghost" is a stunner. Something lurks and hides in that song. Not a surface hum a long. The rest of the album is growing on me. Still you gotta have it for "Ghost."

Cease to Beginby Anonymous

Reader Rating:
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January 04, 2008: This South Carolina-based outfit may recall Neil Young and My Morning Jacket, but Ben Bridwell and company crafted an original masterpiece with 2007's “Cease to Begin.” Bridwell’s soaring voice is perfectly suited to material that is beautiful and majestic (“Ode to LRC,” “No One’s Gonna Love You”), rousing sing-alongs (“The General Specific”) and country-styled sorties (“Marry Song”). An outstanding album for fans of original, melodic rock.

More Customer Reviews

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To listen to samples you'll need a Windows Media Player

Cease to Begin


1	Is There a Ghost 2:59
2	Ode to LRC 4:16
3	No One's Gonna Love You 3:37
4	Detlef Schrempf 4:28
5	The General Specific 3:07
6	Lamb on the Lam (In the City) 0:50
7	Islands on the Coast 3:34
8	Marry Song 3:23
9	Cigarettes, Wedding Bands 4:35
10	Window Blues 4:01

All Music Guide

When Band of Horses surfaced in 2006 with the cathartic Everything All the Time, the band's rugged take on rock & roll drew quick parallels to My Morning Jacket and early Neil Young. That's mighty nice company for a young band, but co-founder Mat Brooke nevertheless left the lineup that same summer, choosing to blaze his own trail with Grand Archives instead. Ben Bridwell, Brooke's musical cohort for nearly a decade, was left in control of Horses -- a daunting position for the former Carissa's Weird bassist, but one that ultimately resulted in a sophisticated, mature, and altogether superior follow-up. Cease to Begin is the responsible adult to Time's reckless teenager, with Bridwell pitting his high, clear tenor against backdrops of swirling indie rock and campfire singalongs. While tracks like "Weed Party" showed the band having harmless (albeit vaguely adolescent) fun on their debut, the good times on Cease to Begin are more grown-up: a lo-fi, foot-stomping pop ditty ("The General Specific"), a brief interlude of instrumental watercolors ("Lamb on the Lam [In the City]"), a foray into twangy country ("Marry Song"). Those looking for more anthemic rock will gravitate toward kickoff track "Is There a Ghost," where the guitars are loud and Bridwell's vocals are candy-coated in thick reverb, but Cease to Begin shines it brightest under the twilight glow of "Detlef Schrempf." Historically, Schrempf was a German-born NBA basketball player with killer three-point accuracy -- and while that's certainly an odd choice for a song title, it's easy to forget as drums beat an appealingly lazy rhythm beneath Bridwell's falsetto. Who knows whether he's singing to a hometown, a loved one, or his favorite member of the Seattle SuperSonics? It's still a thrilling listen, and the subtle humor hints that Band of Horses isn't growing up too quickly. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide

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Product Details

Format: CD
Release Date: 10/09/2007
Label: SUB POP
Catalog No.: 745
UPC: 098787074529
Sales Rank: 3,574

Album Credits
Performance Credits
Band of Horses		Primary Artist

Technical Credits
Phil Ek		Producer, Engineer, Audio Production