A few days after Horses in the Sky was released, *coughtwomonthsagocough*, I sat down and tried to review it. After one listen my review was nearly done. I'd given the album a score of 5.0, dismissing it as "the most frustrating album of the year." I now realize that my review, while being both wildly hilarious and jarringly insightful, was just plain wrong. This really is one of the better releases I've heard all year. I just had to let it grow on me. As a wise man once (probably) said, "My bad."
So what was so frustrating about it in the first place? For one thing, the vocals. Since the band's conception three records ago, Efrim's singing has evolved from a creepy finishing touch to another instrument, with as sturdy a place in the fray as any of the string parts. It's hard to see this as a good thing. The vocals could actually be one of the stronger aspects of the group if Efrim didn't always sing like your grandma who recently caught fire.
Oh, and there's the whole pretension thing, too. The lyrics are as confusing as ever, often straddling the line between thought provoking and just plain goofy. This becomes even more boggling when you consider that there's a band that even does this type of thing: writing funeral marches for Yarzool Rayib as his hope falls victim to the sunrise. I don't know if I even made that up.
Still, what other band would do that? Who else would have the balls to take their style to such new heights of pompous abnormality? And who else could pull off some of the most delicate and beautiful musical arrangements in the process? Rhetorical question, you fool.
The most obvious highlight of the album is the title track, which is probably the band's most beautiful song since "13 Angels Standing Guard..." The song is guided through a pitch black forest by an acoustic guitar, followed closely by three voices huddled together for warmth. It's one of the simplest songs they've ever recorded, which makes it even more stirring.
Just as affecting as "Horses" is "Hang on to Each Other," which sounds like a light at the edge of that same forest. Then there are the slightly more epic landscapes of "Mountains Made of Steam" or "Ring Them Bells." These two songs sort of sound like the best parts of Godspeed You! Black Emperor's "Lift Your Skinny Fists," only thoughtfully condensed.
Really, they're all like that. A Silver Mt. Zion's earlier releases all had a sort of nervousness to them. This album feels confident, which actually makes it function just as well. Maybe this should be final proof that a side project can carry just as much weight as a full rock orchestra.
According to the band, Horses in the Sky consists of "6 busted waltzes for world wars 4 thru 6, or the sound of our nervous unit collapsing across sing-song eruptions of anxious light and clumsy heat, mystery & wonder, messy hearts made of thunder." I don't know what that means either. Lucky for them, I'm not reviewing song descriptions. If you can wade through the pretension here, there's a hell of an album waiting for you. It just might take two months, that's all.
