Tom Lynch

You've heard Ben Bridwell's voice before. It just sounds so damn familiar. A little Neil Young, a little Wayne Coyne, a little Doug Martsch. Matched with a pulsing guitar attack and a whole ton of reverb, Seattle's Band of Horses' brand of space-out, indie-pop misery is both orchestral in its ambitions and subtle in its simplicity. Built from the wreckage of band Carissa's Wierd, Bridwell sulks with the best of them, and his high-pitched squeal--often doubled-up--steals the show. Heart-heavy, the everything-is-gone-or-going attitude doesn't let up, but Bridwell injects enough self-reflexive humor and tidal-wave catharsis to ease his pain. "Everything All the Time," the band's debut on Sub Pop, is a remarkable record worth hearing several times--alone, at a party, in a bar--it doesn't matter. Even though the band recently lost a principal songwriter in Mat Brooke--he's off to do other projects--it's safe to say Band of Horses will be around for a while.

Band of Horses plays September 5 at Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0203, at 9pm. $16. (2006-08-29)

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