HORSE the band - Desperate Living
Rating
RIYL
The Number Twelve Looks Like YouSky Eats Airplane
HeavyHeavy LowLow
Release Date
10/06/2009
Label
Vagrant RecordsTracklist
1. Cloudwalker2. Desperate Living
3. The Failure of All Things
4. HORSE the Song
5. Science Police
6. Shapeshift
7. Between the Trees
8. Golden Mummy Golden Bird
9. Lord Gold Wand of Unyielding
10. Big Business
11. Rape Escape
12. Arrive
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A pure synth in your headphones is one of the most natural sounding elements of music, yet it is also the epitome of un-natural. HORSE the Band, a group both natural and un-natural, has decided to open up their latest album with Erik Engstrom's pulsing synth. The focused frequencies of his synth and Game Boy-run sequencer are integral to the band's sound and swirl in every possible direction, even more so than on previous albums. Desperate Living is the label-jumping band's fifth album and strays from the snyth-tinged metalcore sound of A Natural Death to elaborate on some dirty, RZA-esque soundscapes. Absent, albeit not needed, is a bass guitarist, and vocalist Nathan Winneke is certainly stepping back from the spotlight more on this album than any other. Desperate Living is an anomaly for sure.
The previously discussed “Cloudwalker” is the album's introduction. Including its prominent entrance, it only takes a few songs to realize that everything has taken a back seat to the synth this time around. From synth tracks that are doubled in themselves and also by guitar, to synth and drum solo sections in nearly every song, you'll also find that some searching will have to be done to actually find David Isen's guitar in the mix. From the get-go, the album is noticeably more serious in sound. The first track builds and builds upon layers of synth and group vocals, breaking down one last time only to culminate in a screamed passage from Winneke. “Desperate Living,” the second track, continues this atmospheric and heavy sound before finally breaking into a drum and synth-driven second half, complete with some cleverly hidden acoustic guitar. “The Failure of All Things” contains the first video game sample, which is incredibly out of place and serves to make the listener long for a proper HORSE throwback. The song also features a great synth melody, but we also end up hearing Winneke pull some sort of a James Hetfield impression at one point. Nothing special here. “HORSE the Song,” however, ends up being the first truly HORSE sounding song on the record. Along with “Science Police,” it's one of the more straightforward and simply enjoyable songs on the album. “Shapeshift,” the album's first single, features singing vocals from Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart and is empty filler until the synth kicks in. If you haven't noticed by now, the synth now defines this band. The singing that makes an appearance on this track is the perfect mesh between mechanical and emotional without ruining the band's sound or throwing a kink into the gears. Coupled with the fantastic chord progression behind it, it turns the song around and into one of the standout tracks on the album.
Progressing past the half way point, the music starts to feel more familiar - dance beats, humor, and melody begin invading your speakers. The second half is much more accessible than anything in the beginning, and it resembles old-school HORSE more than the trippy, atmospheric first. Unfortunately, there is little musical merit up until the end of “Golden Mummy Golden Bird,” which sadly only lasts for about a minute. “Big Business” ends up being one of the better tracks on the album, including a hilarious I-IV-V tribute to, of all things, Mexico City. This segues into the heaviest part of the album and then into an audible and humorous stab at advertising before finally ending with a sentimental piece. “Rape Escape” turns out to be part filler song, part pitiful piano solo, and part fantastic piano ending, but ultimately seven minutes of nothing special. Thankfully, the day (and the album) is saved by “Arrive”. The song features some awesome drumming on the part of Daniel Pouliot and a powerful ending that is sure to catch any listener's attention.
Desperate Living is an awkward album in that the poor songs outweigh the good, but the good songs are just too good to pass up the album because of. The only certain feeling I have about the matter is that it's going to be a long wait until the band's next release. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is up to the listener. It either allows for the album to grow on the listener or for the listener to further alienate themselves from it, in hopes of finding something better. The band has definitely taken a step in a new direction, and whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to you, fan or not.
--Cody Rogers
Comments
Minnesota
What an amazingly horrible album cover.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Raleigh, NC
Haha, I highly doubt this is the album cover. We just couldn't find a picture of the cover, and this was new.
Wollongong, New South Wales
yeah really not liking anything ive heard from this yet, but i guess i was expecting something heavier like A natural death was.
Bristol, UK
I'm pretty certain that's the real cover. http://www.vagrant.com/release/details/299
Raleigh, NC
Ugh. I should've given it a lower score, then.
West Haven, CT
The Mechanical Hand was their finest work.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
San Borja, Lima, Perú
I left these guys aside for a while but i just discovered a great bootleg online on www.beatcast.tv. Tight performance and seemed like they were really having a great time, far better than enter shikari or sky eats airplane is you ask me. I suggest you to check the site out bc they have some nice uk under bands.
Somewhere in New York
I actually really like the cover, I guess it's just me, there's something humorous about the entire photo.
"If someone gives you a kazoo and toots around the house to MTV, they're not gonna fuck you." - David Cross
NJ
exactly. the cover screams Horse the Band.
Go FLYERS Go
Cleveland, OH
Album's great.
Recently:
Gnarls Barkley
Minus the Bear
Gayngs
Engineers
Your butt
listening to it now, not bad. I'd probably say 3.5-4 stars.
I'm taking the Congo as a penalty!!
West Haven, CT
3.5 I believe.
And the Piano solo by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentina_Lisitsa was awesome at the end.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
West Haven, CT
After a enough listens I've decided this CD should get a 4 or 4.5. This CD is great.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Raleigh, NC
Haven't listened to it since I reviewed. Just really couldn't get into this thing at all.
Minnesota
Eh, I just haven't ever been able to truly get into this band and this album is no exception. I can definitely understand why you haven't come back to it, Cody. I don't think I'll be coming back to it either.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Fishers, Indiana
I think it says something about my taste in music that this was one of my top albums of 09, then.
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