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I BREAK HORSES - HEARTS [ALBUM]

BELLA UNION

by GarethD, December 7th, 2011 and has been Read 710 times.
Last Edited by: Ffion Davies December 8th, 2011.

American wit Mark Twain said the recipe for a good life involved friends, books and a sleepy conscience. If he’d meant a sleepy consciousness, Swedish duo I Break Horses would’ve fit the recipe perfectly. Their woozy, forcefully dreamy debut album embodies such a rewrite of Twain’s aphorism, even if it would make it very unfunny. IBH make music for a rewarding life, its the sound of a lovingly prepared cake of blended ideas and contrasting sonic blasts. Its head music for those who gaze out of windows on long journeys.

Opening track 'Winter Beats' chimes in like an unsettling church organ and proceeds like a song by the best indie girl-fronted bands of the mid-90s. Having said that, it’s possible their sound is more informed by the likes of shoegazing acts including Catherine Wheel, Ride or My Bloody Valentine. Hearts is heavy on the effects pedals, in other words. Guitars are warped to sound like donkeys eating onions, synthesisers are paired off with the angelic voice of Maria Linden. She lends the whole enterprise a majestic Cocteau Twins vibe, as if her presence is so gossamer-like she probably sleeps face down on the ceiling.

The title track is stupendous; this writer hasn’t heard a better track all year. Its killer bee distortion, parallel melody and elegant central motif make the hairs on your hairs stand-up. And the Chemical Brothers remix is a benevolent bomb of greatness. It’s a long time since a rehash sounded so good.

WATCH! I Break Horses - Hearts

The momentum can’t be sustained though, and some of the album’s middle tracks simply don’t soar and swoop as much as Hearts. But the imprint is still there, a feeling that this is a band with so much to offer.
'I Kill Your Love, Baby' could be a worldwide anthem for quietly spoken folk in long coats, who read Camus in cafes. It’s as gorgeous as a panda with a makeover. The production values set the strings and bass comfortably beside each other as Linden projects her voice skyward.

'Pulse' sounds like a brand new Liz Fraser fronting a Twins revival. Although slightly impenetrable lyrics characterise this, and many other I Break Horses tracks, it still satisfies. Album closer 'No Way' ends Hearts as it began, with a heavenly paean, an organ sound devoted to something above us all. I Break Horse may have their heads in the clouds, but it’s a terrific view.