[rating=4.00]
As Band of Horses strays farther from the sound of their debut, undoubtedly some fans of their earlier material are going to feel let down. Grandiose rock anthems like “The Funeral” are nowhere to be found here. Instead, their third effort sets a mood of subdued melancholy. Infinite Arms is an album whose sound is a better fit on the front porch of a country home than in an arena.
With the exception of the shredding rock of “NW Apt.” and the hook-filled, chugging blues of “Compliments,” this is a low-key collection with a contemplative tone. Instead of distorted guitars, the focus here is Ben Bridwell’s vocals, often harmonized over a slow arpeggio (“Evening Kitchen”) or swelling violins (“Factory”). One vocal highlight is the Appalachian sing-along chorus of “Blue Beard.”
Themes of longing, loneliness and uncertainty permeate the album. In particular, Bridwell seems to be looking for meaning in his life. In “Laredo,” he admits to being “at a crossroads with myself.” “Compliments” finds the singer looking for hope, saying “If there’s a God up in the air, someone looking over everyone, at least you got something to fall back on.”
On their third LP, Band of Horses doesn’t offer the hooks of Everything All the Time or the pop sensibility of Cease to Begin. In fact, few of the songs stand out upon first listen. If their first album was a northwestern indie-rock album and their second was a southern rock effort, then Infinite Arms has turned Band of Horses to mountain music. It may not satisfy everyone, but for a band now firmly rooted in the Carolinas, it sounds like they have found their “way back home.”
