Band of Horses- Cease To Begin

There's a phrase I often hear people begin statements with: "More of the same, but..." Taken on its own, this fragment doesn't explicitly declare a negative or positive conclusion. No, you need to finish it to add that in: "More of the same, but better" or "more of the same, but worse." As I am a cynic and lazy, I get bored of things really easily. It's not that I have ADD, it's that I know there's so much else out there to experience--movies, books, things I should be writing, videogames, conversations with friends and loved ones--that I feel I can't spare a moment on something that is "more of the same." To me, "more of the same" always implicitly means "more of the same, but worse" because most of life (like our jobs, eating, taking a shower, etc.) is more of the same. I don't know about you, but everyday I go to the bathroom and it's "more of the same", and even when it's "more of the same, but better" it's still not great.

It may seem like I'm rambling (I am), but this "more of the same" concept has captured my imagination as I listen to Cease To Begin. Personally, I think Band of Horses's first album is a bit overrated. While I like it a lot, it pretty much defines the '4 stars out of 5' rating for me because it's a good little album for what it is but it's never seemed as astonishing and fantastic as some reviewers have made it out to be. In short, Band of Horses are a 'second tier' band for me, "second tier" being bands that make good little albums that I like but don't rouse me enough from my couch to accost passersby in the street. With all of that said, then: Cease To Begin is more of the same. Just, "more of the same", mind you; not better, not worse.

Again, "more of the same" implies "bad" and "boring" to me, so let me be completely clear. Cease To Begin is every bit as good as Everything All The Time, but both albums are pretty similar. This isn't "more of the same, but different"; it's "more of the same, but equal." The band itself and some critics have pointed out that Cease To Begin is a touch more 'rustic' than their debut, but this mostly amounts to, say, honky tonk piano and handclaps on 'General Specific.' Since the album was recorded in the Carolinas, where the band currently resides, I expected more of the local flavor, but whatever. If anything Cease To Begin solidifies Band of Horses's sound, a blend best summed up by this awkward chunk of words: "My Morning Jacket's singer meets Built To Spill's clean upper register guitars, minus guitar solos and longer songs, plus a dash of country." Other than having a bit more country, the only detectable difference for me was that the album has more...confidence, for lack of a better word. The vagaries continue: the songs feel more majestic and...nocturnal, where on Everything All The Time there seemed to be a...humbleness and afternoon-ish-ness about the whole thing. But not a lazy country summer day kind of afternoon; rather, more of a 'concert taking place between 4 and sundown' kind of vibe. I wish I could be more specific, so let me offer this. Where Everything All The Time ended with the short acoustic singalong 'St. Augustine', Cease closes with a slow motion, moondance, slide guitar totin' ballad in 'Window Blues.'

While I could see someone making a case for one of these two albums as 'superior' to the other, I am not that person. I'm just not that into this band to really prefer one over the other. I think most of us are best off flipping a coin and picking one or the other. Cease To Begin may get some credit for not being a disappointing sophomore effort, but to these ears it's similar enough to their debut to almost (almost) make me want to call the band out for playing it safe. But...no. Cease To Begin is another solid '4 stars out of 5' set of songs from a band who may never surprise me but at least make a point of not letting me down.