Review: Horse Thief - Fear In Bliss
[Bella Union; 2014]
Rating: 6.5/10
By Cortney Willis, Staff Writer
Key Tracks: “Dead Drum,” “I Don’t Mind”
Every now and then music fans come across a new band’s debut album and think it’s the most amazing thing to happen to them since the day the first time they got laid.
These albums may have soaring guitars, cool pedal effects, catchy melodies and/or have amazing production. The listener will hear the lyrics and muse, “Wow, this artist gets me.” Upon a first listen, the album seems perfect. Flawless. A 10 out of 10!
Then reality hits the new band’s biggest fan in the face when they give the album another go, and all of those thoughts go straight to hell.
This is sadly the case with Oklahoma-based quintet’s Horse Thief’s first LP, Fear in Bliss. The indie-folk and wannabe psychedelic band’s music is certainly solid, and nothing is bad about the album, but it’s not nearly as impressive long-term as it is the first time one hears it.
Horse Thief is clearly influenced by the likes of Beach House, Fleet Foxes (both of whom are also signed by Bella Union) and the ever-impressive indie gods and goddesses of Arcade Fire.
The band’s music is dreamy and sometimes resembles a collection of lullabies for grown-ups, the album art for Fear in Bliss begs to be recognized by inhabitants of Brooklyn and even the names of both the band and its album fall on the pretentious side of the etymology spectrum. Horse Thief has all the makings of a Pitchfork darling present on its debut.
However, the band doesn’t take any musical chances apart from the completely unnecessary intro track that spans a mere 31 seconds.
Fans of Mumford & Sons will enjoy the vocal work of front man Cameron Neal (who also plays keyboard and guitar), for he sounds remarkably similar to Marcus Mumford. His range is a bit wider, which allows for more variety on the album.
The first proper track on the album, “I Don’t Mind,” is superb regardless of how many times one listens to it. A lovely piano accompaniment runs throughout the song and stands out against the other instruments. Neal waxes poetic about the object of his affection, oozing a willingness to throw caution to the wind for love, consequences be damned. “And I don’t believe what they tell me / But I don’t mind / We will not last forever / But I don’t mind.” Just the right amount of reverb is placed on Neal’s vocals and the track is flawless.
Album highlight “Dead Drum” features a strong and plucky acoustic guitar, rich vocals and a perfectly stagnant drum beat. Boasting an attention-grabbing melody and lyrics as poetic as anything Bob Dylan’s ever written, “Dead Drum” is the band’s best effort. A highlight hits when Neal belts, “I feel close to all the other sources of existential voices / And that’s the voice that’s helping me out.”
Each song on the album is airtight and pleasant enough to the common ear. Critics, however, will long for something to really shake the album out of a safe zone. Coloring in the lines of “proper indie rock,” Horse Thief needs to exercise more chance if it wants to make a lasting impression in the music world.
