Customer Reviews

Horizon

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

 

 

Rocking Horse Winner's sophomore record is stuffed with all-too-familiar melodic pop, yet unfortunately, the kind that is instantly forgettable. Jolie Lindholm does have a fairly impressive voice, though it always seems to lack any kind of soulfullness, which doesn't fail the songs any since they don't seem to carry a lot of emotional content anyway. In the end, it feels as though you're watching a commercial for teenage complexion cream. Rocking Horse Winner is fine for first dates, or while eating bowls of sugary cereal, or penning lamentful poems about the girl in the front row who moved away, but don't expect to be blown away by a record full of emotion, artistry, and caliber that so many other bands deliver with room to spare. This record is alright to own, just don't pay full price for it.

I'm not quite sure how to describe Rocking Horse Winner. They seem to be mostly categorized as an Emo band; supposedly you would be highly predisposed to like them if you're a fan of Dashboard Confessional.

To me the sound of this disc is much nearer to power pop. Or, more accurately, I think that you're bound to like it if you ever secretly wished that Rivers Cuomo and Shirley Manson had a baby, but then whisked her away to an alternate universe where she grew up to form a junior version of Garbage that has a not-so-secret stash of Bangles records and a few more acoustic guitars.

Or, something along those lines.

Lead singer Jolie Lindholm has a very Shirley quality to her, though it definitely has nothing to do with stage manner: it's apparently a rare event for Jolie to sing a whole set with her eyes open, let alone while performing gymnastics and taunting the crowd. There's just something about her slight appearance and the tiny, focused voice with which she attacks high notes. Her performance on opening track "Orange Blossom" makes me want to hop up and down for no apparent reason.

This particular quality of Rocking Horse winner is why I am so hesitant to liken them to the decidedly Emo Dashboard Confessional and their ilk. Yes, this music is in touch with its emotions. However, there really isn't any such thing as a female-lead emo band... emotions are standard issue for women in rock -- while apparently for guys they aren't so typical. Furthermore, it's happy... very happy.

Frankly, I could care less what you call this album, as long as you listen to it. In terms of highlights, nearly every song is one. "Error" co-opts a suitably vague emo lyric and pairs it with Henry Olmino's slightly bluesy riff and a wonderful chorus crescendo for what could be a teenage soundtrack hit. "Miss You" hijacks a perfectly suitable emo musical idea and turns it into aural sunshine as Jolie spends a whole song just enthusing about seeing a boy.

So, power pop it is.

Henry uses a fairly standard clean guitar tone on many of the songs, and Jolie's lyric delivery isn't always immediately obvious, so often it's the rhythm section of Matt Crum on drums and Jeronimo Gomez on bass that distinguish each track. Both of them shine on the catchy mid-disc "Novelty," as well as the title track. The band shows some definite range outside of making me happy, especially on sweet but crunchy "When The Songbirds Sing," on increasingly upbeat piano and drum-loop ballad "Curable," and on an open-chord Sundays-esqe turn "Tomorrow."

After "Error," the best (and most rocking) track is definitely "Playing With The Lights." Here Jolie takes firm charge of a vocal that's supported by a double-tracked pair of the boys backing her throughout. Though it's slightly frantic pace finds it ending just short of the two minute mark, every second of "Playing" is pop bliss -- the added pace, power, an texture just takes it to the next level. Hopefully it's a sign of what's to come rather than a discarded idea.

For a relatively unknown and unheard indie band, Rocking Horse Winner makes for delightful listening that hasn't been matched by some of my old favorites for too long. Like Garbage without the dark bent, or maybe Weezer trapped under Dashboard Confessional's car while it's driven by the girl all of his whiney songs are about, this band writes excellent music that makes me physically ecstatic while i'm listening to it.

Please buy their records so that they will make some more.

Maybe I just had diminished expectations; I had waited for this album for so long. After first hearing Jolie's awesome voice with Dashboard Confessional, I knew I had to track down more. When I heard TRHW's first album, I was in love - her voice plus a great band with music that reminded me of a harder Sundays. I wore out their first CD, and have waited eagerly for this. (eagerly being a mild word - I had this puppy overnighted to me!)

And the result - disappointment ... at first. Don't get me wrong - TRHW at their worst is better (to me) that most bands at their best. But the sense of melancholy is gone that their first CD had. Of course, you don't want a band's 2nd CD to be a carbon copy of their first. But, when the last CD had those moving melodies coupled with driving guitar, a palpable sense of longing and sadness, plus Jolie's great voice, this CD can't help but pale in comparison. They've changed their style of music - it's faster. Happier. Poppier, and almost punkier.

But I kep listening, and now I'm used to it. And getting into it. "Curable" has that sound of theirs I love. Wistful, but with an edge. "Novelty" is a great pop song, with that chorus of "...static on the radio" that you can't get out of your head. And 2 of my favorite songs from the first make an appearance in a slightly reworked form - "When Songbirds Sing" and "Tomorrow".

The backing band is tight, Jolie still carries you along with her voice, and they're still the band I most want to see live of anyone. This is a good CD. But if you get this first and THEN buy "State of Concentration", your friends will tell you to shut up about this band. Isn't that what we're all looking for?

Okay so here's the deal, three years ago I bought this piece cause... I really don't know why I think I thought I'd dig it (and it was dug) so there you go. Anyways, three years later, many days, months and a few years had passed since I revisited the greatness that I heard, I put my ipod on random and I hear Error and I"m like "oh sit! I love this band!" So I am all like "yeah ROCKING HORSE WINNNER!" What happened to these guys, well you know what they say...

The Rocking Horse Winner bring to mind Bettie Serveert, Letters To Cleo, and many of the other female-fronted alt-pop bands that dominated modern rock radio in the mid `90's. Horizon, the band's newest release, is full of bright and cheery songs with Jolie Lindholm's vocals as yellow as sunshine. With the right promotion, RHW could break forth quite easily on a top 40 or adult alternative station. Each track, from the lead-off "Orange Blossom" to the longing "Miss You" would make an easy single and summer soundtrack fodder. "Christmas Day" is the closest RHW come to a ballad on Horizon while an alternative reading of "Novelty" could prove to be about Ritalin as much as it describes pop trash. At the end of the race, Rocking Horse Winner may walk away with more than just the consolation prize.

I wore their first album thin when I first got it at one of their shows down here. I have seen them several times and they just keep getting better. The distorted guitars are a little more prominant on this album than on the first, probably due to how they recorded it. I love this album and this band. And while I don't really like Dashboard Confessional very much (I think his lyrics tend to be a little childish), I think it's great that DC are so popular. It's really going to help this amazing band out a lot, and I wish them the best of luck! Although I am sure they will have it anyway. (I should mention that Dashboard Confessional will never be half as good as this band, though.)