Acoustic at the Ryman Vol. 2 

Band of Horses – the band that conquered the indie rock scene as the brightest star in that particular sky – has, since their meteoric start, been playing a bit under the radar. Their first acoustic live album, Acoustic at the Ryman is phenomenal. Earlier this year they released Vol. 2 from that same concert. Before having heard the album, I have one things to say. If you are a Band of Horses fan.. buy it! After listening, has my above recommendation changed? Go buy it… Now!

Unlike Vol. 1, Vol 2 also contain cover versions, from J.J. Cole for example. On Vol 2 the band have included more of their interactions with the audience. While Vol 1 is ten tracks of magic, each one worth the album purchase. Vol 2 does not exactly have the same density of great hits, it has real heavy hitters, like ‘Ode To LRC’, ‘Is There A Ghost’ and the ‘General Specific’ which closes the album.

Vol 2 opens with just Ben Bridwell and an acoustic guitar with the track St. Augustine. And right away you feel like you are back home with the boys. Band of Horses has somehow found a way to strike the perfect balance between folk and rock, keeping the best from both worlds and discarding the unwanted frills from both.

When we hit the third track For Annabelle you know, and the banjo trickles in and mixes with a great acoustic guitar and Ben’s glorious voice chimes in, you know you’re in for a great night of music. 

If you did not read the review of Vol 1 of this concert here in hi-fi+, the concert was recorded with an omni-directional microphone, upright bass, various guitars, piano and banjo. 

‘Ode To LRC’ is quite different than the studio album, with an ominous start, created by the piano, but then Ben’s voice breaks out of the cacophony of sounds and we recognise the track. This is a slower version than the studio album, but the backbone and soul of the track is there right alone with Ben’s vocals.

‘Monsters’ – a plucking banjo with Ben’s vocals – like many other tracks on the album, highlight the band’s inspiration and roots from American folk music.

If you’ve only heard Band of Horses with their trademark noisy, yet musical guitar chords and riffs you might wonder how their sound can possible translate well when they go acoustic. To my own surprise, it actually translates far better than I expected. I’m not sure I can imagine a group like Mogwai having the same ability to transition from electric to acoustic in anything like the same way. Having heard this acoustic concert live, as well as many of their regular electrical concerts, I actually thought it was the best concert I’ve heard with the band – and I think the “normal concerts’ were fantastic. The outstanding vocal harmonising of Band of Horses, along with their many pauses and tempo shifts in their tracks, is simply distilled in this acoustic format and somehow comes out purer and more crystallised. One of the ways they manage to try to recreate the harmonising of various electrical guitar chords in this acoustical format is to actually use the piano as backing for the main guitar of the particular track. It’s hard to explain how that works, but listen for it on for example ‘Is There A Ghost’.

This is a track that on the studio album starts slow with Ben’s vocals, just like it does on this acoustical album, then listen at 1;09 where the acoustic guitar chimes in, the piano chimes in at the same time, somehow mimicking the reverb of the electrical guitar that is missing.

Live at Ryman Vol 2, like Vol. 1,  is a must have for all Band of Horses fans. And for all fans of great rock, great folk, great indie rock. Hell, it’s a must have for anyone who enjoys great music. Vol. 2 might not reach the epic heights of Vol 1, but it’s freaking great!

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