Kategorie: CD-Reviews | Genre: Folk/Folkrock, Psychedelic/Space Rock | Heft: Jahrgang 2014, eclipsed Nr. 159 / 4-2014 | VÖ-Jahr: 2014 | Wertung: 7/10 | Label: Bella Union | Autor: MaB
Horse Thief come from the Texan town of Denton, which had already provided a fertile breeding ground for Midlake's related colleagues. In order to broaden their own horizons, the founding trio moved to Oklahoma City a few years ago to study contemporary music at the university there. In the following time the band expanded to a quintet and released an EP in 2011 with the title "Grow Deep, Grow Wild", which is now followed by the first studio album. Frontman/lyricist Cameron Neal is influenced by Neil Young and the folky early seventies records of the Grateful Dead. But "Fear In Bliss" shows that Horse Thief are not copyists, but instead want to update the sound of their role models. Thanks to producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart), "Fear In Bliss" is very compact and almost pastoral, with Cameron Neal's nasal voice taking centre stage. Over the complete duration of 45 minutes there is still a little bit of daring missing, which Midlake showed last year on "Antiphon". Nevertheless, the potential of Horse Thief becomes apparent.
Top track: I Don't Mind
