An Horse takes simplicity to another level

Note: Photos by Aaron Facemire.

Since they had the simplest setup of any of the bands playing on Thursday night at The Canopy Club in Urbana, An Horse's set focused on the songs.

The Australian indie rock band's 30-minute set had very few embellishments (just guitar and drums, and a shaker on one song), meaning their material better stand well on its own.

It did, and I liked it.

To elaborate, not much changed between the arrangements from their debut album, Rearrange Beds, and in a live setting but the songs are good enough to warrant that. Still, lead singer and guitarist Kate Cooker and drummer Damon Cox did just enough to let the songs breathe and up the energy level.

An Horse played most of the songs off Rearrange Beds, and their simple, guitar-driven indie rock worked best on songs like "Company" and "Little Little Little." When they kept it fast and propulsive, the material sounded the best.

When they slowed it down a bit, however, their set dragged, but not because of the material. Instead, The Void Room of The Canopy Club can be an unforgiving room for sound. When it's loud and fast, it sounds great. When it's slower, the sound gets swallowed up.

Nevertheless, An Horse's set was simple, which is probably why I liked it so much (and why much of the set didn't suffer from those sound issues). Compared to Company of Thieves, the band that played before them, their music was simple, but even that is an unfair generalization.

The Appleseed Cast was a different feeling though. If An Horse was about the songs, The Appleseed Cast were about the feeling and the dynamics.

And when the band was loud, it was loud. For such a small venue, they made sure they were heard loud and clear 100 yards away.

These weren't simple ditties either. These were multi-sectioned compositions (a staple of many post-rock bands like The Appleseed Cast), which rarely employs anything like verses or choruses. Yeah, there were vocals, but more often than not they took a backseat to the instrumentation (which often sounded like ocean waves hitting the beach in a violent manner).


Again, the band's slower or more intricate material got lost in the sound mix , but The Appleseed Cast were okay being as loud as they want, pounding their instruments for maximum effect. For the most part, that was okay with me as well.

Note: I did an interview with Kate Cooper of An Horse prior to the show. I will be posting it here sometime soon. Keep checking back!