About two minutes into “Dull Times/The
Moon,” the slow-burning epic that opens
Band of Horses’ fifth album Why Are You OK, a
speaking voice emerges. Buried under washes
of shimmering electric guitar is a recording
of auteur director Robert Altman, who is
being interviewed about the cyclical nature of
Hollywood. Following the disastrous reception
of 1980’s Popeye, which crashed critically and
commercially despite the star power of Robin
Williams, the music of Harry Nilsson, and the
guiding hand of Altman, the director is in a
reflective mood.
“I think I just keep doing the same thing,”
Altman says of his work. “And occasionally
Band of Horses
Honest Themes
what I do crosses with the general attitude of
the public, and it becomes very successful. And
then I am a failure and a has-been, and then I
cross back again. But I am going straight—to
me, I am going in a straight line.”
The sample fades, and eventually so do the
crystalline chords and the steady drum click,
before a riff appears, gangly and thick with
By Jason P. Woodbury
Photos by Bill Reynolds
distortion. From there, the Pink Floyd vibes
feather off, and Band of Horses engage in some
unabashed rock moves, all crashing cymbals
and pounding drums, like Crazy Horse playing
post-rock. It’s no coincidence this grandiose,
dreamy song begins the group’s first record in
four years.
The Altman quote lingers. Over the last
decade,
Band
of
Horses
have
enjoyed
consistent popularity, but they’ve also earned
their share of critical scorn. With the quote,
songwriter Ben Bridwell draws a straight line
from the band’s debut, 2006’s Everything All the
Time, back to the present, where everything’s
changed for Bridwell, except for all the things
that haven’t.
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