Ben Bridwell formed Band of Horses with bassist Chris Early and drummer Tim Meinig in 2004 after the break-up of his previous band Carissa's Wierd along with bassist Chris Early and drummer Tim Meinig. They were soon joined by former Carissa's Wierd bandleader Mat Brooke on guitar and vocals, and under the name Horses they received attention from Sub Pop, after opening for Iron & Wine during Seattle area shows. In 2005 the band released the 'Tour EP', which was sold at shows and on Sub Pop's website, and later that year they recorded their first full-length album, 'Everything All The Time', which was released by Sub Pop in March 2006. It included new versions of five of the six songs from the 'Tour' EP along with five brand new songs, and was a minor hit in Scandinavia, entering the lower reaches of the Swedish and Norwegian album charts. During the recording the the album Bridwell found that there was a personality clash between himself and Meinig and Early, and they left soon after the recording finished, being replaced for the subsequent tour by Joe Arnone on guitar and keyboards, Rob Hampton on bass and guitar, and Creighton Barrett on drums. Before recording their second album, Bridwell decided to relocate the band from Seattle to his native South Carolina, and after losing Arnone and recruiting Matt Gentling on bass, Robin Peringer on guitar, and Ryan Monroe on keyboards they recorded their second album, 'Cease To Begin', in Asheville, North Carolina.
It was released by Sub Pop Records in October 2007, and gave Band Of Horses their first hit in the U.S. by reaching number 35 on the Billboard 200. Following the release of 'Cease To Begin', Monroe became a permanent member of the band, along with new recruits Tyler Ramsey on guitar and vocals and Bill Reynolds on bass. Third album 'Infinite Arms' was released worldwide between May 14 and 19, 2010 on the Columbia, Brown, and Fat Possum labels, and was the first to be self-produced by the band, with additional production from Phil Ek. On 20 April 2010 the band appeared on the BBC television series 'Later... with Jools Holland', and following this appearance, the band's two earlier albums entered the UK Albums Chart for the first time. The band toured Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and opened for Pearl Jam and Snow Patrol, and in 2011 'Infinite Arms' was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Alternative Album category. In April 2012, Bridwell announced that the band's fourth studio album was scheduled for release in late 2012 and would be produced by Glyn Johns.
In July the album's title was confirmed as 'Mirage Rock', and following the release of 'Knock Knock' as the debut single from it, the album appeared in September 2012. In July 2015 Bridwell and Sam Beam of Iron and Wine released a covers album titled 'Sing Into My Mouth', and the next year saw the appearance of the fifth Band Of Horses studio album, 'Why Are You OK', produced by Jason Lytle of the band Grandaddy, and issued through Rick Rubin's American Recordings and Interscope Records. Over the next five years the band went through numerous line-up changes, and in October 2021, they issued the single 'Crutch' as a taster for their sixth record 'Things Are Great', which was released in March 2022. Despite their music being generally well-received by the critics, and having a Grammy nomination to their name, Band Of Horses have yet to break through to the mainstream, particularly in the UK, and so I hope this this selection of their best work will tempt you to try some of their albums.
Track listing
01 The Funeral (from 'Everything All The Time' 2006)
02 No One's Gonna Love You (from 'Cease To Begin' 2007)
03 Is There A Ghost (from 'Cease To Begin' 2007)
04 Laredo (from 'Infinite Arms' 2008)
05 Weed Party (from 'Everything All The Time' 2006)
06 In A Drawer (from 'Why Are You OK' 2016)
07 Infinite Arms (from 'Infinite Arms' 2008)
08 NW Apt (from 'Infinite Arms' 2008)
09 Slow Cruel Hands Of Time (from 'Mirage Rock' 2012)
10 Marry Song (from 'Cease To Begin' 2007)
11 The Great Salt Lake (from 'Everything All The Time' 2006)
12 Factory (from 'Infinite Arms' 2008)
13 Crutch (from 'Things Are Great' 2022)
14 Warnings Signs (from 'Things Are Great' 2022)
15 Knock Knock (from 'Mirage Rock' 2012)
