Band Of Horses @ Maxwell's, NJ - 6.17 before i launch into my review, let me point out a few things in fine print.

if you haven't already, you should read my other post on the night. i decided to split up my formal review (because we're so hoity-toity around here, clearly) and the informal story-telling session because it was a pretty self-indulgent move to tell you all of the back stories, and you should have the right to choose. that's right, kids, Noise For Toaster is getting political! ..no, not really. just kind of preachy.

there is no mention of openers The Can't See or Mt. Egypt because they're both mentioned in my storytime post. i have you linked to them, so if you'd like to know, go check them out. i recommend the official pages, both of which offer free mp3s. those are also the links in the other post.

yes. there are mp3's at the end of this post.

down to business. the response from the sold-out crowd in the craftily sound-proofed Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ, was incredible. it's always a great comparison to go from relatively unknown bands to a well-established trendoid favorite, as only Sub Pop can create. they were all absolutely stoked (yes, i said stoked), and guys and ladies alike cheered for them like the floor section of fourteen-year-old girls at a Britney Spears concert. Ben Bridwell would have only needed a chair to contort himself around and the audience's response would have been rather appropriate.

they were missing a fifth member (no website has helped me in determining who is who - who is the bassist, who does the keyboards and second guitar? who were we missing, beloved writer of St. Augustine?) but to be perfectly honest, I couldn't tell the slightest difference. Bridwell, just to gush for a moment, has such an amazing voice talent. sometimes the sensitivity of it has me thinking of Kermit, to tell you the truth. live, the man sounds exactly like he does on their studio release - and with those high pitches and resounding curvatures on songs like Wicked Gil ("it's nothing, now") and The First Song, you could imagine belting, so tightly and clearly, being hard to keep up with. nahhh. nothing's too hard for Horses.

you guys know their album, you know their sound, they're coming to see you and you'll probably go out to see them. so i won't go on and on. the hype is real, they're amazing, and the music pushes you from the front row, glances off of you and back, moving at invisible speeds, like pure whale speak in the middle of a dirty club with hardwood beer-stained floors. Bridwell seems so innocently surprised at the reception, the chance to sing the lyrics and play the music that he evidently adores. it was just so good.

one picture for the set list (because we're crazy):

The Great Salt Lake
Weed Party
The First Song
Monsters
Our Swords
No One's Going To Love You (new)
Part One
Wicked Gil
Hall & Oates Cover - You Make My Dreams
Detlef (new)
The Funeral
-Boat (new)
-Wicked Gil (alt version)

...yes, you read correctly, they played three new songs. i loved them all, but my personal favorite was the first that they played (No One). in the future, i think we're going to scam some recording equipment and be able to put up live recordings of new songs and things like that. in the meantime, i have a bunch of rare tracks from them, so i'll give you those. the first three are entirely different songs than on Everything All The Time, and the other three are live/demo.

::::yes, i'm just that nice.
(Biding Time Is A) Boat To Row - my personal favorite.
Savannah, Part 2
I Lost My Dingle On The Red Line
Billion Day Funeral - great alternative version of "The Funeral"
The Snow Fall - now known as "The First Song"
For Wicked Gil - some harmonizing in this demo version  shan  3:10 PM  |  view comments (1)