For Why Are You Ok, their fifth studio album, Bridwell doesn’t so much as build off his earlier work as treat the group’s catalog like a grab bag.
After the mainstream ambitions of Infinite Arms and Mirage Rock, Band of Horses’s fifth album makes something of a triumphant return to the wide-eyed, dreamy vulnerability that marked the Seattle band’s first two records.
It’s not they’ve gone back on themselves or regressed; it’s just that Band of Horses have naturally, and happily, managed to wind their way back home.
It finds the group’s essential melancholy getting the upper hand in the long-ongoing struggle with their baser rock instincts: it is a record for darkness drawing in, for falling mercury, for “all the trees are turning gold”, as Bridwell has it on “Throw My Mess”.
The mood throughout is amiably diverse. Every Band of Horses record feels like mixing your dad's records with your records.
While Why Are You OK may struggle to match the specific peaks of some of their previous work, its consistency, cohesion, and variety of songcraft breathes new spark into the band's flame and hints at a brighter, more expansive musical future.
Though it sometimes gets lost in its own sleepy sweetness, Why Are You OK finds just enough of those grand moments of simplicity.
Band of Horses stray further into the realms of Americana but stick to a stadium rock template.
Band of Horses don't exactly wander too far off path even if they at least contemplate the idea of taking any diverging paths. And you know what? At this point in their career it's an OK thing to do.
While certainly not complacent, they do seem to lack some of the hunger of their Sub Pop years and the broad scope of their Grammy-nominated Infinite Arms LP.
They may not be groundbreaking, sophisticated, or poetic in any sense of the word, but what they lack in complexity and nuance they make up for in solid, simple tracks that are as harmless as they are amiable.
Lytle’s presence ultimately serves as a reminder of what you miss about Grandaddy rather than Band of Horses. The quirks are try-hard in a way that makes Why Are You OK? unfavorably compare to the recent triumphs in capricious, quasi-indie southern rock.
Idk why are you asking that to me? Jeez >:(
As their most recent album as of 2021, this doesn’t really do much too different. It has better production which is nice. It has a really strong start with the opening track, which I think is excellent. The chill vibe has lush production, and the melody is memorable. It tries to do this sort of sound later in the album but it lacks some of that memorability. Solemn Oath is pretty good too. The rest is… forgettable. Not bad, just ... read more
'Why Are You Ok' (silly question) kicks off with the equally awkwardly named 'Dull Times/The Moon' and straight away the omens don't appear favourable for the fifth Band of Horses full length...but by the time this opening track concludes you might just be pleasantly surprised, as it finishes strongly in a style reminiscent of the debut.
So is this album a return to form? Of sorts. These songs at least motor along more than those on 'Mirage Rock' where much of the material felt limp and ... read more
1 | Dull Times / The Moon 7:00 | 80 |
2 | Solemn Oath 4:00 | 67 |
3 | Hag 4:32 | 75 |
4 | Casual Party 3:53 | 74 |
5 | In a Drawer 3:58 | 69 |
6 | Hold on Gimme a Sec 1:12 | 58 |
7 | Lying Under Oak 3:57 | 69 |
8 | Throw My Mess 3:13 | 73 |
9 | Whatever, Wherever 4:13 | 71 |
10 | Country Teen 3:21 | 67 |
11 | Barrel House 4:48 | 67 |
12 | Even Still 5:23 | 67 |
#29 | / | Albumism |
#39 | / | Rough Trade |
#48 | / | Earbuddy |
#73 | / | Fopp |