Horse Lords

are the best rock band in america.

'An instrumental odyssey from Baltimore quartet Horse Lords: drums, bass, sax, guitar, and percussion fuse together to carve out deep, hypnotic grooves of bold new American rock and roll. Using a just intonation tuning system, the band constructs layers of punching, syncopated phrase that call upon elements of krautrock, African poly-rhythms, and classical minimalism.'

http://horselords.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfClXuKqjvA&spfreload=10

i was stoked to see some excitement for Horse Lords in the parquet courts thread & here we are

they need to get those three mixtape jams up on band camp. they're looser than the albums but they're the best

every once in a while I play 'church of anthrax' because how could an album by john cale and terry riley not be amazing, but now I can just go listen to these

mixtapes II & III are up on bandcamp as name yr price downloads. i know cuz i ran off to their page right after they came up in the parkay quarts thread. you have to give your email address & they send you a link, otherwise painless.

sold

i saw a headline on these guys the other day.

"Horse Lords lay waste to indie rock bands treading water"

listening to stuff on their Bandcamp and am really impressed

going to see them next week at union pool

"Hidden Cities" sounds the coolest to my ears. U.S. Maple jamming in Africa?

https://soundcloud.com/nnatapes/sets/nna075

union pool show is w/ chris forsyth who owned at palisades last month, i am there

holy cats these mixtapes are great

like, really really great

thanks Milton

I've only heard their 2014 release and these two long tracks are great

blowing my mind, been looking for music like this

Guitars tuned in just intonation tunings Global. The next frontier ....

finally got a copy of Max from HL's excellent solo album from last year, RED ANXIETY TRACERS, highly recommended, doesnt sound like HL, minimal noise/ music concrete i guess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l6k9HXFdeM

Max is about to do a tour on the west coast w Luminous Kudler after playing some Horse Lords gigs so if you dig him solo definitely check those out, I just caught his new set with his new modular-to-computer-and-back-again rig and it was really righteous

I should prob nominate a song or two for the epics poll

I voted for Who Taught You to Hate Yourself? in the 2012 tracks poll so maybe that one...

Any info on the tour out there? Would love to catch him.

Horse Lords play VASSAR college tonight, FYI

their Facebook tends to list these things, and max is @420_horchata on Twitter if you wanna see what he's up to

Thanks! I might have to figure out how to swing a round trip to Olympia on Wednesday...

http://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/hidden-cities-remix

remixes by the tune is space, Milton Parker, etc.

the album still rules and is in my regular rotation

Great! Will get those tonight. "Outer East" is such a great track to play in the car, pedal to the metal at 10 minutes in :)
Who's Milton Parker on that list of remixers?

I can't say, sorry, just remembered that

Ha, ok, no problem.

Oh, need to check that out. Only recently heard the impressive album.

new album!

http://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/interventions

!!

and a tour!
4/27 Philadelphia, PA TBA
4/28 TBA, TBA TBA
4/29 Brooklyn, NY TBA
4/30 Cambridge, MA Out of the Blue Gallery
5/1 Western, MA TBA
5/2 Annendale-on-Hudson, NY Smog
5/3 TBA TBA
5/4 Quebec City, QB TBA
5/5 Montreal, QB Brasserie Beaubien
5/6 Toronto, ON Feast in the East
5/7 Buffalo, NY Sugar City
5/8 Detroit, MI TBA
5/9 Chicago, IL Situations
5/11 Minneapolis, MN TBA
5/12 Lincoln, NE Tr33 H0use
5/13 Denver, CO Glob
5/14 Salt Lake City, UT Diabolical Records
5/16 Seattle, WA TBA
5/17 Portland, OR Human Flesh Body World
5/18 Arcata, CA Richard's Goat Tavern & Tea Room
5/19 Oakland, CA TBA
5/20 San Francisco, CA TBA
5/21 Los Angeles, CA TBA
5/22 Tiajuana, MX La Caja Fuerte
5/24 Los Angeles, CA Live on The Unwrinkled Ear KCHUNG
5/25 Tempe, AZ TBA
5/26 Santa Fe, NM Radical Abicus
5/27 Oklahoma City, OK TBA
5/28 Austin, TX TBA
5/30 New Orleans, LA TBA
5/31 Atlanta, GA TBA
6/1 Asheville, NC TBA
6/2 Virgiania Beach, VA Back Bay Brewery
6/3 Washington, DC TBA
6/4 Baltimore, MD TBA

Uggh, so pissed I missed them when they played Charlottesville. Why VA Beach? Didn't realize anyone played VA Beach ....

The preview clip from the new record is fucking sweet.

FRIDAY, i have been jamming "truthers" on the regular, i am excited to see them play new stuff/hear the record

if you replace the Rs with Us, they are house louds

http://www.npr.org/event/music/476020413/video-horse-lords-hypnotic-truthers-will-blast-your-noodle cool video. listened to the record on my commute this morning and it is very good indeed.

fuck, vinyl is sold out!

i gotta listen a bit more to these guys, something isn't quite clicking with me. but i trust you guys.

fuck, vinyl is sold out!

preordered a couple months back. hope i am not forgotten.

and the first LP is surprisingly hard to track down these days

yeah I've had that on my list for at least a year now, impossible

i almost ordered the vinyl last night (said their were 4 left) but held off ... surely they'll have someone at the merch table on tour, yah?

they are playing with friends of mine about 50 feet from my store on the 3rd of may. gonna buy all the records.

yes i hit the atm just now in order to raid the merch table tonight. i might buy a t shirt if they exist. the last band shirt i bought was napalm death.

this rules

like, too good. i love it. can't wait to see them

^^^

they were so great when i saw them last year, looking forward to seeing them again in a week or so
they're playing a diy venue which seems a little weird but w/e

oh man, guess I am gonna buy some FLAC files here

excited

rules

V good.

OK, wow, the lossless version sounds great imo.

yes, it certainly does. listening now.

this is next-level, even better than Hidden Cities imo

drummer really shines on this so far

there are two!

at least there were when i saw them
one holding down the fort and the other one who did more intricate stuff and had at least one cowbell

ah that explains the intricacy I was grooving to, thx

two drummers on friday night, though the more-intricate one doubled on sax for "truthers." they are selling a t-shirt in the same color as the album jacket and it is gnarly in the cold light of day. psyched to wear to summer weddings or jury duty.

He played saxophone when I saw them last year too, & used the circular breathing technique that I see jazz dudes use. It dawned on me that he had probably been to official Music School but it's always possible he taught himself to be super awesome.

ha was just listening to this and then surfed to ilx and saw this thread was at the top so i'll just add to the chorus that it's great

if y'all don't know that circular breathing sax dude is Andrew Bernstein who has a couple of excellent albums posted in the current time-travel thread, well, now you know.

It dawned on me that he had probably been to official Music School

Goucher College, acc. to LinkedIn

this stuff hasn't fully clicked for me but imma go see em on thursday, hoping it'll all come together in a live + really stoned context. Max Eilbacher's old band Needlegun played maybe my favourite crazypants diy set ever, blew me away on just like a random thursday night show i went to cause my friends were opening. and this thursdays show is at the same bar. unfortunately the opening arent my friends cool noise band but some jazz skronk wankers... bleh

yeah i like Horse Lords but Needlegun was my shit

this riff \m/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKlpzSYhr0M&feature

my favorite needle gun set of the first iteration (mike, max, jack, gram):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw7vUyJlo3Q

when i saw them it was way more rawk

re: two drummers and sax above, and this should be in the thread anyway. I think this is Wildcat Strike off the first record (and drum-->sax switch around 4min).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p58eEgyQ3rE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzHK4oo1GLI

great show

is that youtube ok to share?

i could have driven to mass or vt to see them this past week but i am old and have to job :(

you can share that video as long as you give credit like this:

VIDEO COURTESY OF Sam PunkrockHobbit Jem Hadge

it's all that he asks really. and if you want to see almost every great weird show in western mass over the last couple of years, check out his channel.

Thanks, will do!

yeah, tip appreciate, scott!

also, got my LP of this from the nice northern spy people today. came with an eye-scorching screenprint thing and looks boss.

unfortunately the opening arent my friends cool noise band but some jazz skronk wankers... bleh

It does seem like they could have used more help booking their tour. One of the places they are playing in the Bay Area is like, the worst place to see a show in the wanky-bad-free-improv no one shows up because it's boring places (as opposed to douchebro/overpriced drinks type worst places)

I'm a little concerned that the place they're playing in Seattle is way too small, given that the show will probably get written up in alt-weeklies as a can't-miss.

^^ more proof of my theory.

To be fair it's a rad space and Andrew Bernstein played there a few weeks ago but they might be underestimating their audience.

yeah, the band played this space in Oakland that I sometimes help my friends book when they toured out here last (two years ago?), but it can fit 50 ppl tops, and the friend who's on the lease would have had a major panic attack dealing with that many people and the "unwanted attention" that would attract as the space is basically a house.

they probably would have played at my store last year but i'm taking a break and the local music store across the street is doing regular shows. which is cool. i got a little burnt out on all the shows we had. the music store is in a HUGE old bank building with a big old safe and everything. two spots for music. the back for loud stuff and the main room with a zillion foot ceiling for quieter stuff. tony pasquarosa and pg six played that room 2 weeks ago.

my wife just rented the floor above my store though and i might use that in the future for music. it's 2000 square feet of space.

my friends neel (bromp treb) and ted, olivia, and matt (curse purse) opened for them here.

they were originally listed for a house show in Portland (I'm 99 percent sure), but have since bumped up to an appropriate/good venue.

they're playing a basement here on monday, which is likely to be way too small
although last year they opened for liturgy so they played a relatively normal venue (for liturgy)

coincidentally, Zs are playing here yesterday and today

my friends neel (bromp treb) and ted, olivia, and matt (curse purse) opened for them here.

― scott seward, Friday, May 6, 2016 12:36 PM (1 hour ago)

I think I have met them too! i think they just played here in Oakland recently?

there weren't that many people at the show in Montreal. would have been a crowded basement show but a thin-to-regular draw for a thursday night at a bar. seemed poorly promoted (no involvement with major indie promoters, just a facebook event and a handscrawled poster in the 5-block vicinity of the venue) + we don't really have an anglophone alt-weekly anymore.

neel was recently in cali. you know chris and jess, no? they were all in fat worm together.

neel and curse purse just got back from europe. they played some shows together there. even iceland!

yes, and yes! wow!

i heard about the mpls show via a local music scene-y message board, wouldn't have seen it anywhere else. not sure how that poster even found out!

GT - and it's not listed on the Eagles calendar, which looks fairly up to date. need confirmation, don't want to miss them.

it's on the northern spy website with more info:
http://northernspyrecords.com/shows/

cool, thx!

i never reported back about this show! i am so glad it was at the diy space! what a fun experience and i was not the oldest person there or even the oldest woman. the only serious issue was that it was packed beyond reason, and i was standing about 12-15 in front of the bass/amp which was cranked to the point of drowning virtually everything else out. i thought maybe it was just me, but i asked around and that was not the case. from what i could hear, they sounded awesome and even played a short round of solos
good times

12-15 *feet, at the most

Just started listening to this. Sounds v good so far: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Horse_Lords/Live_at_WFMU_on_Gateway_To_Joy_with_Donna_7262016/

New mixtape coming, new interview here:

http://thequietus.com/articles/21987-horse-lords-interview

https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/mixtape-iv

btw that WFMU set Sund4r links above is really good

anyone have a chance to see them with Roedelius & Wume last weekend? i keep wondering how that show was but i don't know anyone who went.

Wume are sick

I didn't get to go to the show but it turned out not to be Horse Lords because one of them couldn't make it (they refuse to try and play their stuff a man down). The rest of them did a weird electronic set.

xxp

i was at that show. horse lords were doing a kind of different set than i've seen from them before. no drummer, +1 bagpiper. extra drone. bagpiper walked through the audience at one point making for a cool phasing effect.

Wume was solid as per usual.

Roedelius was great. i'd never heard his solo stuff, but it was basically a quiet, subtle, spacey, psych thing that you would expect from a dude from Kluster. he finished with some more straightforward, melodic keyboard pieces that were beautiful. good night out.

ah, ok, that would explain the different set.

xp

bagpiper!! i saw yoshi wada recently and he had a bagpipe and there was a full-regalia trad bagpiper too. i was sitting on the floor and when they walked into the room it was MAGICAL. amazing.

i love roedelius -- was wondering if he played more piano stuff or what. his compositions are so...idk how to put it...clear?

i don't blame them for not playing their horse lords material without a drummer -- it wouldn't sound like them anyway, so why try?

Quietus interview is very good thx Ned

Happy to share it!

the show was sweet, horse lords initially dropped out but I'm glad they threw something together with only 2 days' notice. owen's guitar playing in particular was great. Roedelius' set was mostly laptop/electronics, with a bit of electric piano at the end. he was hilarious, stood up at the end of his set and said "So no one's going to bring me a Schnapps?" Then he took his iPhone out and made everyone give him a standing ovation as he filmed it lol

really digging Mixtape IV right now, looking forward to whatever they do next.

the 1st album and Mixtape #1 are on Bandcamp now

Playing on a bill with Mdou Moctar in DC next week.

oh man, what a bill. wish those two would tour the whole country together.

otm! that sounds amazing.

prolly gonnna go to that

I went. A good show. Alright, some Horse Lords tunes got a little too out there for me, but others I liked. Was seeing Mdou again and he did not disappoint

i have a huge crush on Max Eilbacher

I didn't go, had to work. missed Mdou here again, too. ohwell nexttime

Sorry. Next time. Horse Lords introduced 1 song by saying “you’ve never heard this one before.”

best US band of the decade?

bump

serious question

idk probably? certainly one of the only US rock bands i have had much interest in this decade

i gotta listen a bit more to these guys, something isn't quite clicking with me. but i trust you guys.

― tylerw, Friday, April 29, 2016 3:41 PM (two years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha, this is still kinda how i feel.

who are even still the other bands

I really like them, especially live. Got to see a double bill of Horse Lords and Mdou Moctar and I must say that was a helluva show.

i like their double drummer setup and rhythmic complexity
and this sounds dismissive but i don't mean it that way at all since i am uneducated formally -- they seem very well educated in playing music. when i saw them a while ago, someone remarked that they sounded like they had "gone to school" and that was my exact impression upon seeing them the first time too. no one gets to play drums that precisely and also learn the circular breathing technique for the saxophone just sitting in their basement alone.

https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/on-first-solo-outing-saxophonist-andrew-bernstein-breaks-music-down-to-the-fundamentals/

xp so jealous

ll otm, they def have "chops"

Oh yeah they are working with tools and ideas, not "jamming" or rocking out. I think your enjoyment of them probably depends on how wired you are for the set of tools, which I am particularly wired for!

This is not to suggest that they do not rock

seems like they have chosen to express more complicated musical ideas in the idiom of "rock music" because that means more people have the opportunity to understand it/enjoy it bc they are familiar with the sonic vocabulary (tools) of rock music. it could open people's ears and minds to hearing more non-rock music. that's nice.

gotta say though -- seeing them perform >>> listening to their recordings
for me
i like to see + hear what they are doing. i've seen them...3x? i think?

Oh yeah, live is best! Really cool to see the two drummers in action, as well as the other stuff going on of course. Seems that that first statement is right on too based on something or other I have read. Always interested in people using common frameworks (i.e. "rock band") to sneak other things in. Fun way to work.

I dunno I mean I haven't seen them live but I just love all the Mixtapes, and those are definitely not something built for a live translation - I think they excel in both arenas (live & studio)

btw Mixtape IV totally rules if y'all have not heard it yet

must be a mother to remember how to play all their tunes

they don't play them exactly the same every time, they discussed that in some interview. and having a weirdly tuned just intonation guitar probably doesn't hurt

yeah, i would expect as much—but still

saw them live, it was excellent

showed them to a friend via bandcamp

said friend is a drummer nerd who studied percussion in ghana and plays in an almost-famous neo-afrobeat outfit.

he listened to them for like two months straight, exclusively.

i am not “educated”

they are not a rock band to me but i love them

https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/the-common-task

yesssssss

HELL YES!

just preordered the everloving shit outta this

excellent excellent news

they're one of the many reasons I'm stoked for Long Play in NYC

The promo was in my inbox this afternoon. It’s good.

Hope I get to see them live again soon. It has been too long.

!!

BAGPIPES

seriously! still wrapping my head around this, feels like part of their continuum from the start and very cohesive but also some startlingly cool additions

deep horse lords

i had high expectations but my initial listen makes me think they've been surpassed

can't wait to get home and crank this at high volume!

this is great, of course

it's another one of these bands (like with Ahleuchatistas' Arrebato album) where I realise I don't really have an aversion to math rock when it's done like this.

i mean this is just wonderful, ecstatic energy and creativity. i love it

the last ~5 minutes of the closing track definitely has quotations of previous material. kind of a good trick for them to do

Saw them live a few years ago at a sit down venue and they had the bagpipes. I think they suggested to close your eyes (? memory’s shaky here, but people had eyes closed) and the bagpipe guy played while walked around the room. Some cool psych phasing going on.

Was supposed to see them tonight in bk but we're living in a nightmare so going to buy the vinyl/merch instead. Fucking awesome band and amazing album.

they made awesome shirts for the new record but they’re completely sold out on bandcamp :/

They already are on pressing #2 of the record I believe, they would re-up the shirts I imagine too if they sold out that fast. Especially as they aren't even getting to tour it for a while.

this is exactly the record I was hoping it'd be. definitely going to be cranking this a ton over the next few weeks of quarantine

same

also, horse lords twitter confirms new round of shirts on the way

Cool, figured. Hope you get one.

Listening to this for the first time right now and fuck am I grinning at how fucking great this is. This is what I need right now. This, and wine.

Oh yeah, so good.

WOW, this is fantastic stuff.

listening to this on weed in the dark last night was wild. It's like a science fiction movie

Our long out of print 2014 NNA Tapes LP Hidden Cities has been repressed! Available on Bandcamp starting tonight at midnight.

yo good looking out, just ordered it!

same!

original post otm

still can't get over the most recent one.

"integral accident" feels very "einstein on the beach" at times.

the mazey design thing on the album cover is a buncha Hs & Ls, right? Ls in the corner and Hs on the sides? right? this is a thought I had while staring at the album cover and pondering the design choice and listening to this. it's very good. "born under punches" works well on a playlist immediately after "fanfare for effective freedom" just fyi

https://i.imgur.com/NPZSk7Z.jpg

Ha I didn't notice that.

Whoa now I gotta go dig that record out. Listened to it heavily when I first got it, such a great band.

live set out

https://vimeo.com/466694019?fbclid=IwAR3ANC0vqlMBzHXbz7Dj_BXN3t4gV6Qqop4BjnEUzW5ieJser1LkeGVTwG0#t=4155s

weird, the link seemed to work earlier, but now i'm sitting down to watch the whole set and i guess it's gone

seems like this would be the place the footage will show up, if the festival folks decide to re-post it:

https://tuskfestival.com/archive/

in the meantime, i really enjoyed this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBqeYHeNkcA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyT3mMFUtDQ

sweet

huh, they've got some wacky stuff going on with their frets there, I see. reckon these lads have read a book or two about music theory and whatnot

that's good watchin

hell yes this band rules so hard

that is very cool

awesome, thanks

I'm a sucker for some mictrotonal guitar action. These guys, King Gizzard, Noura Mint Seymali, who else am I missing?

Ahleuchatistas' Arrebato album from a few years back, for starters!

xp Mdou Moctar?

that band with the long name that imago likes?

Lol, that describes most bands imago likes.

I'm checking these out, thanks!

Immediately liking the Ahleuchatistas record. Some pretty string similarities to Horse Lords so far, but also getting Tortoise, Battles, and King Crimson in the mix.

it's a tremendous album

Ah yes, I think I've heard Mdou Moctar before, good stuff

also Harry Partch of course! not rock by any means, but great.

Weirdly, the thing this Mdou Moctar album reminds me of the most is Weld era Neil Young

xp

Well yeah, La Monte Young too

don't sleep on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE5mA7YIFnY

think it's tommy tedesco @ 2m30s but not sure

Oh shit, this grooves

"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for an independent band to record a new album, generally the proceeds from touring the previous album are more than enough to pay for it. As the 1-year anniversary of our last album approaches, we find ourselves bursting with new, recordable material, but when we consult the touring ledger are assaulted by dust, cobwebs, tumbleweeds, and find with horror that our accountant is a skeleton! There was of course no tour last year—we have no money!

Fear not, beloved reader, you your beautiful self may be in a position to help! We are appealing to the generosity of our fans (which history has shown to be great) to finance what will be our ninth release, and any bit you can spare will be very meaningful. Any donation over $50 will get you a "free" copy of the record! We're grateful beyond words for your support over the years and into the future, many thanks in advance."

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-make-the-next-horse-lords-record

https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/comradely-objects-2

new album "comradely objects" nov. 4

!

Who else here helped to crowdfund this one? I haven’t heard a peep before I saw this link.

Oh nice, last record ruled I imagine this one will too. Interested to see just how far they can stretch the sound.

Had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't "Step On" by the Happy Mondays when I first heard the new track! Sounds good though, looking forward to the record. It was crowdfunded? Where?

Ooh! That sounds v appealing. I need to listen to this immediately I think

Also did not know about crowdfunding

Love an instrumental band that can create compelling music this consistently. I’m always happy to hear whatever HL has to offer, so far at least.

If you contributed to our crowdfunding last year and didn’t send us your email and address, now is the time! We have names but not deets - horselordsb✧✧✧@gm✧✧✧.c✧✧

— Horse Lords (@HorseLords) August 30, 2022

Oh shit ... I forgot I contributed to the crowdfunding. Thanks for the reminder, MacDara.

ha, i crowdfunded also but completely forgot. love this track, gets almost poppy but still sounds like them. they're amazing in how they can push and warp their 'formula' for lack of a better word

Yeah well said global. One thing I love about the band is that the changes happen in the racks but often in ways that are hard to anticipate/pin down. They just kind of morph and shift from one place to another throughout so they act kind if like little journeys and not "songs" (verses, choruses, breaks etc.). I really love some of the guitar runs in this one in particular.

"changes happen in the tracks"

New one just isn't hitting like The Common Task on first listen. Sure it'll open up eventually.

Any bagpipes?

I really dig the housey piano on “Mess Mend”

https://thequietus.com/articles/32245-horse-lords-interview-2

i walked away from this interview liking the band less but i can't quite put my finger on why

whole thing smacks of privilege, self regard, ivory towers.
sometimes i think steve reich is a pox on music.
it's like hugh laurie playing the blues

I don't get what's so offensive about that. They just sound like intelligent dudes doing cool stuff?

this reads exactly like what i expected a horse lords interview to read like

the sniffy "i don't even OWN a tv" vibe, unappealing imo

XP not offended, so much as disheartened that such rather pedestrian math-rock should be framed as something high falutin, vorticist or "intellectual" - I think the fault there lies with the author, who comes on way too wide-eyed and bowled over by the assumed value of terms (or ideas) such as "contemporary composition"
fwiw i dig andrew bernstein's solo stuff. horse lords not so much diff strokes etc

the sniffy "i don't even OWN a tv" vibe, unappealing imo

tbf did anyone really expect them to be like "we just want to party and rock your asses off, ARE YOU READY TO TESTIFY??"

not a shocking read considering the language around their promo stuff, song titles, solo projects, etc but i dont really care, i can still jam the albums without having to listen to them pontificate about architecture. very glad i got to see them a few times when they were still playing DIY spaces and not hifalutin' New Music festivals in Frankfurt or whatever.

tbf

(my phone put a second "tbf" there because it really really wanted to make it clear that i was being fair)

it's good to be fair!

tough but fair to be fair

Sucks to see a good time workin class rock n roll band like Horse Lords putting on such pretentious airs after they got big

this senegalese mbalax needs more brian ferneyhough!

are they big?

i'm not just asking in response to ums' post (which i understand is jokey) but i also have had other observations recently that made me feel like ... maybe this band is kinda big? or no?

or maybe they just hold a high opinion of themselves and that feels "big" from the outside.

interview makes them seem like cool smart dudes

appreciate their commitment to the unified band outfit

I have faith that Baltimore dudes can't get too pompous.

Sucks to see a good time workin class rock n roll band like Horse Lords putting on such pretentious airs after they got big

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, October 27, 2022 8:26 AM (ten hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

LMAO

The last time I saw them (prob 2019 iirc) someone in the audience commented they had clearly “gone to school” (had a formal musical education). You don’t get to be a circular breathing saxophone player and precise af drummer DIY-ing in your spare time. It’s not news that they’re well-schooled imo.

idg why this is a bad thing. Pretty much every great jazz artist revered here and elsewhere was well-schooled, too

yeah they tended to put forward some worthwhile ground-breaking stuff tho

i don't think max eilbacher went to a fancy music school. he was in baltimore noise bands throughout the 00s

circular breathing isn't so difficult. knowing what to do with lips & fingers thereafter is the tricky bit

wow

well this revive inspired me to listen to the preview track of the new record and it totally rules, which is all I really care abt

Their use of just intonation and irregular time signatures lifts this well above standard math rock. The recombination of elements is really clever and exciting to listen to.

There is certainly something to said about the rise of conservatoire trained musicians in indie rock, avant-jazz and all points between. But I think one of the most positive developments in 21st C music is when that training is combined with DIY approaches, so you're breaking down the artificial race and class inflected barriers between jazz, rock, noise, new music etc. HL are one instance of that and I'm all for it. Saw some of the members play some great free improv sets with the likes of Luke Stewart at Moers this year - they're totally comfortable in that world. Fuck genre! :D

y'know i just took a listen to these guys on spotify and they're actually tons better than i remember.
the inner curmudgeon got the upper hand, my bad. (reasons)
was my issue more with the credulous style of journalism? i can't remember.

Not having lyrics can be an advantage too: the band do not have to write anything on the nose or ridiculous. Music is just an object that acts as a nexus for the centre point of their communication with others. Gardner remarks that sound is a sort of abstract vector for this kind of expression, forcing more imagination. “We’re thinking about a new way to listen and forcing this kind of listening that’s more engaged with form and the abstract aspect of it, the experience of music. It puts people in the role of participants rather than just passive observers. It’s like we’re building this together.”

lol gtfo

New one out today, just finishing a first listen through this morning - it's phenomenal. I'd heard two of the tracks prereleased on youtube, but this works so well as a fully sequenced album. also operating just on a few hours of sleep thanks to world series game 5, but this seems to be a perfect state to take in their music!

Any other crowdfund backers get a message from them yet? I don’t want to be ‘let me speak to the manager’ on release day but it’s kind of disappointing not to know what’s going on there.

No message here. I agree with you a message by now would've been ideal ... seems reasonable to give 'em till Monday, I think, before asking what's up.

Complaining makes you a participant, not just a passive observer!

listening to the full album and OK this rules, I like it more than anything since their first album? and way more than Common Task, which I couldn't really connect with. something about the production, sound, and the way the parts all interlock is just perfect for me here

I should say, I like it more than anything since the mixtapes (which are incredible, go check them out if you haven't)

Re: crowdfund backers, from an email reply from Andrew Bernstein just now: “Pre-orders have been shipping this week and last week, so your record should be on its way.”

pic.twitter.com/eEvl1396sz

— Fritz Pape (@fritzpape) November 10, 2022

lol

just digging into this, dope so far

think i like this new one better than any Horse Lords I've heard previously. very very cool.

fuck yeah i'm digging this all bloopy bleepin guitar shit in a danceable ⌺/12.3 time signature

New collab release from drummer Sam Haberman: https://cachedmedia.bandcamp.com/album/radial

new album is awesome. love the acid house 303 in ‘mess mend’

cool guest mix of the Folkways catalog:

https://folkways.si.edu/playlist/peoples-picks-horse-lords

We might have embarked on this playlist—as others wisely have—with a theme to lend some cohesion to the result, but instead we chose chaos. The dizzying, impossible variety of music and sound that Smithsonian Folkways (and some smaller labels under their caring umbrella) has given the world ought to be experienced as a disjointed, disorienting maelstrom of pleasure, totally resisting any representation of its totality ...

love these guys but god are they insufferable. like just admit that you threw something together at the last minute

Nothing insufferable about that statement imo.
Started listening in bed yesterday and fell asleep, first three tracks I liked though :)

I don't get the obsession here with accusing these guys of being any more pompous than any other arty post rock band

Agreed, ESPECIALLY with a state as innocuous as the above

Statement of course

new live EP

https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-leipzig

live album out now

https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/as-it-happened-horse-lords-live

i'm seeing these nerds live next month and am *stoked*

ooh are they in the PNW?!?!

saw them earlier this year, they do a fantastic job

xp

https://x.com/HorseLords/status/1798644570953335099

i'm not able to see that or really any links from twitter

yeah I can't see that one either, here's a link with dates/venues:

https://igetrvng.com/events/

if you replace X with Twitter in the URL it will still embed

sorry y'all

it's okay, i'm just giving that feedback because i think that not everybody realizes that people without accounts often can't see the post much less the comments and context surrounding it

i definitely had no idea!

Saw them live last night for the first time. Loved it. I can see why they've put out various live recordings, the studio records are great but live there's an exuberance to the sound that's really engaging.

I'm going to try to see them when I'm out in LA next week!

I'll just echo what everyone else has said: absolutely worth seeing them live. I was only mildly into their studio output but I saw them at Big Ears this year and had an amazing time.

The live album is miles better than their studio stuff. Knew they'd be one of those bands lol

I saw them live the other night and they were the best thing I've seen in quite some time. I absolutely thought they backed up my occasional half-joking-half-serious declaration that they are the best band in America.

I knew nothing about them until I saw them at Solid Sound the other week where they played one of the late night sets. They were hypnotic!

Would love to see them live, wish they were hitting the midwest

They did Minneapolis and Chicago in early spring. But I don’t think they’ll be back soon. While some are saying they’re the best band in America, I think 3/4 of them live in Europe.

i hope they never release a studio album again. i will 100% see them when they're next in London

les rallizes deneighdes

absolute props to them for having the self-generosity to piece together a concise 48-minute live album from 4 different performances in 4 different years. to select the very best shit they've done and present it as a single document. utterly magnificent

i saw them last week at a small club in portland and it was pretty easily the best show i've seen since covid restrictions ended

Listening to the live album now. It's not bad, but so far the only track where I think the live version is clearly superior to the studio version is "Bending to the Lash".

I saw them live the other night and they were the best thing I've seen in quite some time. I absolutely thought they backed up my occasional half-joking-half-serious declaration that they are the best band in America.

― alpine static, Friday, July 12, 2024 1:46 PM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

they don't even live here

to be fair, they WERE from Baltimore

i mean, i didn't know they don't live here. they have always been identified as a Baltimore band, and that's what i'm talking about. but if they're not ... well, OK.

I was just goofin around. I too think 4 Americans in a band is an American band. But if turns out one of them is Canadian…

same, and if i had seen that somebody had already brought it up, i wouldn't have mentioned it. not trying to pile on, lol

all good, my brother in Horse Lords

I didn't realize that their multi-instrumentalism is so intense, what a band.

https://www.ursss.com/2023/04/horse-lords/

They do, indeed, rule. Sad I haven't seen them live in a while as it is cool to watch them do it.

wowwwww

Great video!

Gotta say this (incredible) video is a good polyrhythmic companion piece:

https://www.ursss.com/2023/03/mark-ernestus-ndagga-rhythm-force/

Label for their solo projects:
https://omaeditions.bandcamp.com/

oh hell yes, collaboration with Arnold Dreyblatt

https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/frkwys-vol-18-extended-field?

well that makes a lot of sense.

Kudos to RVNG. I contributed to the kickstarter for the original FRKWYS series and have all the original ones. Was made a few of the suggestions/connections for the Mirror Mirror volume.

Andrea Belfi, formerly of Il Sogno Del Marinaio, is an honorary Horse Lord on this one. One step closer to the Watt/Horse Lords collab you didn't know you wanted till now.

this is out, yo. sounds great.

Pretty great but...

not sure I like it better than say, Animal Magnetism or my favorite Horse Lords records!

sum better than the parts? Maybe not. Def some moments where I felt like it was a cool merging of two things. Other times where it seemed like two things. Only listened to it once and not that closely though.

yeah my first time through and I think too much of this is beatless

drum-less, whatever

also weren't there four of these guys? this is three plus Belfi & Dreyblatt.

no Booker Stardrum, who is plenty busy with SML at the moment

not sure if his other gig or the drum-less collaboration came first, but they certainly seem aligned