What an introduction! Do I smell a Celtic influence? What an album! What is this band?! Originally from Baltimore, but now based in Germany. The polyrhythms are hypnotic, but the vocals feel sliced and diced, sprinkled over your pizza like Parmesan—or is that a salad? The beats are crisp and unprocessed—yes, it’s a salad. Every groove knocks and shakes, and the melodies slide slowly over the repetition, grounding it in a nonplussed proposition that propels me forward. You may now pronounce me the prince of prosperous rhythms, inspired by the plonking, prodding, prodigious batch of songs that make up this album. What a mix!
The space between each note in the mix, perks my ears. I focus on every intonation, savoring the flavors. The groves are intoxicating. I’m in a drum circle that circles, each revolution adding small tweaks and revisions that spice up our journey. I’m along for the ride—a ferris wheel that picks up speed, but then slows down.
If I had to choose, I’d pick “A City Yet to Come,” which displays the broadest palette of instrumentation and intonations. The melodies sound to me like a soundtrack gone wrong: Napoleon wreaking havoc on the other animals while squealing at his subordinates to carry on with his vision. It’s all about power, isn’t it? Napoleon’s destructive tendencies will end the world, but not during his lifetime, so who cares? The track is a villain’s charismatic shrug, passing the buck for the debts he racks up through his overindulgence.
I’ll keep Horse Lords in my radar going forward—you should too! Thanks for the groovy experimentation!