Band of Horses has explored the Southern side of its sound before -- in songs like "The General Specific," from 2007's Cease to Begin, for example -- but the group's recent Infinite Arms heads even further in that direction. An authentic honky-tonk ballad that conjures memories of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, "Older" helps stake Band of Horses' claim to the modern-day mantel of "Cosmic American Music."
Built around little more than a handful of words, "Older" finds singer Ryan Monroe pining for a love that remains ageless, no matter what goes on around it. "After all my plans, they melt into the sand / Yeah, you will be there on my mind through all," he sings, before adding, "Don't want to understand why you never get older." There's not much more to "Older" than that -- the band runs through the chorus five times in a three-and-a-half-minute song -- but there needn't be.
This story originally ran on July 19, 2010.
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