Quick, Before It Melts.

It's nice and refreshing to know that I can still be taken magically and musically by surprise thanks to an album that serendipitously falls into my lap and, whereby it makes its way into my head and into my heart. That it's happened less than 24 hours after first hearing Cease To Begin is a testament to the power of Band Of Horses.

I know (now) that their 2006 debut album Everything All The Time garnered them rave reviews from all the usual outlets, plus a spot as a finalist for the inaugural Shortlist Music Prize, but these wild palominos escaped from the dude ranch before I had a chance to hitch a ride (how's that for imagery and analogy?). There's been some personnel shifting, as well as a change in base of operations, but producer Phil Ek still returned to take control of the boards, and the band has again returned to form, turning in an album that has everyone turning heads.

Right from the start, the anthemic and gorgeous "Is There A Ghost" sets the bar high with just a simple, repeated lyric, a propulsive, possessed rhythm section, a soaring vocal performance that will leave Kings Of Leon scratching their beards and wondering, "Why don't we ever sound that good?"

Cease to Begin is the sound of a band at their most powerful and cohesive, and you don't have to have any background knowledge of their music to know that. Their talent and power simply seeps out of the speakers on tracks like "The General Specific" and "Ode to LRC".

Their is a new dark horse making a run for album of the year; this is just the start for Cease to Begin's victory lap.

Band Of Horses "Is There A Ghost" ~ from the album Cease to Begin, 2007 (Sub Pop)

For more reviews and opinions, Read Twisted Ear's take on Cease to Begin here.