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| Artwork by Denis Forkas |
Half Blood, the new Horseback album, has just been released on their Relapse Records Bandcamp page. This is an album that takes you on a journey. Starting with americana black metal; twisted boogie grooves, repetitive twangy guitars, and harsh blackened vocals. Ending with full on krautrock droning; gorgeous layers of organ and guitar, and the gentle tick-tock of electronic drums. Here's a couple of reviews from AllMusic and The Inarguable, and here's an interview Invisible Oranges did wth Jenks Miller, the man behind Horseback.
[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]
On first listen, I didn't really like the harsh vocals mixed with the groovy guitars, but then I found myself wandering around singing "Ahriman" for a full week, so I guess it worked its charms on me.
ReplyDeleteIt is strangely addictive music. What do you think of the electronica / krautrock / droning parts?
DeleteIt's one of those things that, on paper, shouldn't work at all, but yet it does. I've heard other, more americana/alt country-type bands bring in krautrock influence (The Jayhawks' "Dying on the Vine" immediately comes to mind, which they said was inspired by the band Can), so it can definitely be done and done well. Having listened to the Horseback album a few times now, I think the variety of influence is what makes the droning part work. They manage to blend it all together, so it doesn't sound like a ridiculous genre mash-up, and it keeps the drone parts from being a never-ending slog of boring.
DeleteYeah, the album sounds remarkably cohesive despite the variety of influences. Or, as you say, because of that variety.
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