I Break Horses
Chiaroscuro
Reviewed by: Sebastian Mackay
“You Burn” made me want lather on dark make up, pull on a shirt and trench coat and stalk the darkness of a circus on stealing children. It’s other worldly in its orchestration and the piano adds a layer of mystique, which, combined with the vocals, creates a deliciously eerie atmosphere as though it began as love song for the twisted hearted.
Most of these tracks are fairly long hitting around the five minute mark (some seven) and in that time there’s a synth based and induced metamorphosis that is out there, it’s almost tangible. I Break Horses’ female vocals appear in a dreamy state the whole way through the album. The synth work brings enough variation to feel as though you’re progressing through a soundscape while you’d swear the vocals washed over you like a lapping tide.
While each track is drastically different from the last, “Medicine Brush” stands out. The soundscape, space and production make the track feel massive. It’s an aural experience that heightens when you close your eyes. Those dreamy vocals return but are more haunting than before. And by way of track based evolution, it’s stitched together enough to feel like a whole but also separate enough to feel as though it’s a new experience all over again.
This will leave you changed.
Rating: Bad-Ass
