by Mandy Stussman ‘14

Passion is a difficult emotion to pinpoint. The exhilaration of living and the deep swoops of aching that being alive can bring ‒ all the emotions of subsisting can be found within Band of Horses’ celestial new album “Mirage Rock,” a reviving breath of fresh air after the band’s gaudy previous album “Infinite Arms,” which seemed to be the beginning of the end for the band. “Mirage Rock” manages to rekindle their distinct sound that was hidden on their previous album.

The band constructed a graceful album with a hopeful tone always lingering in the background. Producer Glyn Johns got it just right. The band found their voice again, and even managed to create a street-corner-simple sort of sound.

The blatant honesty of the album seeps into the listener. The band incorporates an amplitude of emotions; anger and frustration in “Dumpster World,” agony in “Slow, Cruel Hands of Time,” and the dreaminess of romance in “Long Vows.”

No one instrument dominates and the vocals find a nice balance. The familiar, harmonic dominance of Ramsey’s lead vocals allows the album to swirl through songs and gives it a temperate, stringy feel, especially dominant in “Everything’s Gonna Be Undone,” a country ballad with Bridwell providing the harmonies to Ramsey’s lead vocals.

The new album manages to take the listener on a fervid journey. It refuses to pause for even a moment, with flawless transitions and an off-beat rhythm that stays stuck in one’s head for hours after listening. Even the slower songs, like “Heartbreak On the 101,” keep moving in a syrupy, nostalgic kind of way.

The album’s only flaw lies in the fact that it never has the listener sitting on the edge of one’s chair. It lacked the itchy disturbance aspect, or ghoulish sound. Every song had a warm, earnest feel to it, which faithfully followed the theme of honesty, though an edge to a few songs could have given the album an even more dramatic, lasting effect.

Still, the album is one to keep in a collection. Johns did a nearly flawless job and rid the band of their undistinguished “Infinite Arms.” “Mirage Rock,” has the potential to lead the band to new heights and deserved fame. There’s no holding these horses.