Customer Reviews

Desperate Living

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first put in my Desperate Living CD, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had heard that the band was trying to distance themselves a bit from their metal influences, and honestly it made me nervous. I first discovered HtB AS a metal band, and wasn't ready to part with that yet. Little did I know, HtB had grown on me with their own unique style and sound, and metal wasn't even a part of the equation anymore.

Sure, there's still screaming, there's still some double bass, and there's still some rough, raw guitar with heavy distortion; but the pacing, the smooth transitions, and expert keyboard playing take it almost out of the rock genre altogether. It's really something to experience. Also, lead singer Nathan Winneke actually places melody in several of their songs (something that was experimented with in A Natural Death) and creates a powerful feel without a wide vocal range.

Some tracks are still head-noddingly awesome, while others sometimes are slower, and fill your head with random images (which does seem almost like what they wanted to happen). Now, when I say slower, I don't mean slow. Anyone who is familiar with HtB's music knows that they are more fast paced than a cheetah on speed, so they'll understand.

Desperate Living is way more than I ever expected it to be. It's well paced, well versed, beautiful (in their own way) and still sloppy (once again, in their own way). Horse the Band's sound has really come out, and it only took them 5 CDs to do it.

Also, if you like videogames, they reference them a lot. Good stuff.

There really isn't a band out there quite like this one. That being said it definitely took my awhile to get into their first few albums. And they were great but I really do think their Vagrant Records debut, Desperate Living, is the best album they've put out so far. And they don't do it by changing their sound. They've stayed true to their own style and only expanded on it.

One little setback for me though. They still have their random noises thing going in some of their songs and it did annoy me just a little bit. I've gotten used to their style so normally it wouldn't be a problem. But, you'll notice that a good portion of these songs are a little darker and sadder than most of their other material. The randomness in those songs just takes me out of the tempo of the song a little bit and it's a little annoying but certainly nothing to be overly upset about.

I would say that most of the songs on the album are great and I don't have a particular favorite but The Failure of All Things, to me, summarizes the nature of album pretty well.

This album also has MUCH better production than their previous albums, which was to be expected. I'll also say that the drumming on this album is excellent and really melds well with the music. All in all, it just seems like all the noises you're going to hear are working together instead of fighting each other. It really shows how far they've come and even if you absolutely hate HORSE the Band, you should still check this out.

I guarantee, you won't find another album or another band quite like this one. It's unique, fresh and just a fantastic album.

I,ve been a fan for some years now,but they I've allways kind of saw them as novelty act.But on this release they found the perfect formula.The mix of the keyboards and the rest of the band merge together perfectly without ever sounding tacked on and corny.the Album has a very clean production value and sounds awesome on a nice system.There best album to date,I just hope they can keep it up.

I like this better than A Natural Death.That album was alright, I guess, but it was just going over what they'd already done.This one has a little more progression to it as they mutate into...?

From such roots as Atari Death Metal comes the straight-edge Nintendo Unknownvariable Metal outfit- the band, Horse. Don't let the sattelite radio fool you. They have just as many good songs on the album which you haven't already heard. Then again, another third are sortof dull. I'd split this album three ways, but i won't. As a whole it's excellent. Nostalgic of super nintendo games on the first few runs. Somehow, doesn't get dull. Just don't get hooked.

I wonder if the Bands ever read these...
Desperate Living had me from the moment I saw the cover for the album. After I stopped laughing, I finally opened it and the thing was all wet but I still slid it in. After I did that, I opened the CD and put it in my car. The first time through it felt like my ears had been put through a gauntlet of sexual deviants, grizzly bears, massage therapists, clouds, and fire. I wiped myself down, then let it go through a second time, then a third time, a fourth time...the damn thing was stuck in there and i couldn't take it out. So I thought why not listen to the CD again while I try to figure out this other problem. And listen I did...

I listened the crap out of that album. It is by far one of the best I've ever heard. It's refreshing from all of the other music that's out there just getting in the way. They're a real band with a real love for what they do. "HORSE The Song" sums it all up for me with the last line, "Living at the top when you're at the (swear word) Bottom." My favorite track is "Science Police" because it creates love grooves through my body. I hope someday to be able to meet, shake hands with, thank, and buy these guys a beer.

The CD is still in my car, I haven't taken it out since I got it. As for that other problem, with a little help from my neighbor, we had it out in 10 minutes.

HORSE started out as a very thrashy metalcore band. Throughout the years, with each album, their style has been more melodic, more expansive. Many say they lost their edge, which I think is bull. This album is fantastic, simply put. It's almost deserving of a seperate genre than their previous albums, and to be frank, it sounds like what A Natural Death SHOULD'VE sounded like. It's along the same lines as the previous album, but much better in my opinion. It's still got the edge, the speed, but almost a melancholy flavor to every song. It just flows better. All in all, we haven't seen a HORSE album this good since The Mechanical Hand.