Labels: Aurora Borealis – Relapse – Utech
Review by: Kunal Nandi
Billed as some kind of a doom drone noise outfit, with the label affiliations and collaborators certainly commensurate to suggest this, what I actually got was a surprisingly enjoyable ride down largely instrumental stoner territory that was very easy on the ear. Imagine some early Dead Meadow with their hazy, drugged out, rolling approach, bolted to the relentless momentum of a band like Om, although Horseback are actually quite a lot faster, possibly even definable as mid-tempo rather than some soporific slow-for-the-sake-of-slowness. Having said that, the final, lengthiest track is more along the lines of what I was expecting, but even that is an aural bubblebath. A lovely blossoming effort, building into a solid wall of Eno-esque strummed chords, with much echoing of drones and xylophone. There isn’t a reliance on distortion here, with a lovely and warm recording job. A sticking point for me is the vocal delivery, being as it is of the demonic gremlin style, which seems a little at odds with the general feel of the music. They are usually buried within the warmth, and make proceedings even more unusual. By all accounts, subsequent Horseback will be less groovy, pleasant affairs. I’m sure it’ll all rule though.
Horseback
Aurora Borealis (LP)
Utech (CD)
Relapse (CD reissue)