Thanks, FKA!

I'll give a listen!

No problem!

Okay, I just listened to the album stream you posted KidA. I'll just go out on a limb here... I think these songs are much stronger than those on the first album. There isn't anything as huge as "Funeral" or "Great Salt Lake", but those songs were major peaks on their otherwise forgettable debut album. This new one seems pretty consistent. I don't know if it's worth my 13 dollars yet, but I might buy it if it were on sale or in a used bin.

No Metacritic score yet on this album? I'm surprised.

I really, really like "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands". The rest is good too, I think I like it about as well as their debut.

I'm disappointed that the song I liked most when they played live isn't on this album. (Or if it is, they cut the part I remember.)

Overall, I like it better than their first album, but I don't really see too much of a difference between the two. It's pleasant enough to listen to, and since I just got it a couple of weeks ago, I'm enjoying it well enough, but I'm not sure how much staying power it will have.

Normally, I don't complain about vocals...and I actually liked the vocals in the first album...but I'm not too keen on this one. Don't get me wrong, it makes for a good driving CD. I think the first album had a little bit more ambience in the vocal track - and it was a bit more to my taste. I know BoH often gets compared to MMJ, but I think Jim James' voice is so much more haunting, ethereal, airy than Bridwell's. There really is no comparison. Bridwell's voice just doesn't cary as much weight, and it's so monotone. The funny thing is I didn't feel this way after the first album. Maybe the sound is wearing on me.

No one has talked about this CD for a month? Too bad, I think it's one of the more underrated CD's this year.

It's slowly climbing on my year-end list.

Without a doubt one of my favorites of the year. More records should be this earnest and rich-sounding. Plus, can't argue about the short running time.

RE: Band of Horses < My Morning Jacket. MMJ takes more from more places, like a jam band or something, whereas BoH are more straight-ahead rock like Neil Young.

They're not terribly comparable is what I'm saying. Just because both vaguely fit into the category of "unorthodox Southern rock" doesn't mean they'd even fit on a bill together much less a page together.

I really enjoy it, and it'll have a respectable place on my year-end list. I can enjoy both BoH and MMJ in the same vein.

Definitely one of the more underrated albums of the year. It's also way more consistent than their debut. I do still enjoy The First Song, The Funeral, Monsters, and St. Augustine, but Everything is not an album that I've had any desire to listen to straight-through in a long while. I'll need a couple more months to see if Cease to Begin has more staying power.

The new album is great. I saw these guys at the Wiltern...great live band. Can't wait till they come back to NYC!

Definitely agree with the people who say Cease to Begin is stronger beginning to end than their debut (even though Everything has been growing on me recently.

As for MMJ vs. BoH, I immediately loved The Funeral when I heard it because it reminded me so much of MMJ, but their new stuff doesn't remind me of them as much, which really isn't a problem, as there are some amazing songs on Cease, namely No One's Gonna Love You, which hasn't gotten nearly enough love, IMO.

um, kind of boring the second time around...I can't say there is anything too special about this record to be honest.

I think this is a really great album. Its been a great year end surprise for me as I've neglected picking this up until a week ago. Perhaps I'm still in the honeymoon stage, but this will easily end up fairly high in my year end list. And I'm only a mild fan of their debut. I find this one far stronger top to bottom.

to me that album works exactly like "Wincing The Night Away" by The Shins.
it sounds good with the first listen but after a few listens it grows n shows its real beauty and quality.theres no tune like "the funeral" here , but still you can find some great songs like "No One's Gonna Love You" , "The General Specific" & "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands".
if i had more time to hear it, it could end bery high in my personal list.

Some people must not be looking hard enough for good 2007 releases if "Cease To Begin (Being A Decent Record)" is impressing you. It starts off decently well but bogs down into sameness after only a few tracks. In a word: dull.

quote:

Originally posted by CouldBAnyone:
Some people must not be looking hard enough for good 2007 releases if "Cease To Begin (Being A Decent Record)" is impressing you. It starts off decently well but bogs down into sameness after only a few tracks. In a word: dull.

Someone have a grudge? There are plenty of people who do enjoy this album all the way through. I've heard over 50 albums over the year and Cease to Begin ranks pretty highly in my eyes.

I really enjoy Cease to Begin, but in no way is it even close to the 10 masterpieces that reside on their first record (i mean does anyone really understand how amazing the song, "Monsters" is). I know everyone just thought upon the release of Everything All of the Time, that this was just some MMJ/Shins hybrid band...but my god! What would be wrong with that? The first record was my top record of 2006 and my number 10 from 2000-2006. I think Band of Horses misses founding member Matt Brooke more than people seem to let on or notice.