Mirage Rock

Mirage Rock
Studio album by Band of Horses
Released	September 18, 2012
Recorded	Sunset Sound Studios, California
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	45:17
Label	Columbia
Producer	Glyn Johns
Band of Horses chronology
Infinite Arms (2010) Mirage Rock (2012) Singles from Mirage Rock "Knock Knock" Released: 10 July 2012 "Slow Cruel Hands of Time" "Feud" Released: 26 November 2012

Mirage Rock is the fourth studio album by Band of Horses and was released on September 18, 2012 on Columbia Records.^[1] Produced by Glyn Johns, the album was preceded by the single, "Knock Knock".^[2]

Pre-release

In April 2012, lead singer, Ben Bridwell, revealed that Band of Horses' fourth studio album was scheduled for release in late-2012, with production by Glyn Johns.^[3] In June 2012, via Facebook and YouTube, the band shared a video preview of a new song, "Dumpster World," and confirmed a September 2012 release for the album.^[4]

On July 10, 2012, the fourth album's title was confirmed as Mirage Rock, and the tracklisting and artwork were also unveiled. Bridwell has stated that there is no such place as Mirage Rock and explained that the name "is a total piss take."^[5] Prior to the official launch of Mirage Rock on September 18, "Knock Knock" and "Slow Cruel Hands of Time" were released as previews of the album. On September 10, 2012, the entire album was streamed on both the Band of Horses Soundcloud page and the official website.^[6]

Just prior to the album's release, the track "Mirage Rock" was made available on the internet. Although this is billed as the "title track" it does not appear on the regular version of the album, but is one of five tracks on the deluxe edition of Mirage Rock. These five tracks were recorded at the Sonic Ranch studios in Texas.^[7]

Recording

Bridwell explained that Johns recorded Mirage Rock with both "analogue and live" technology, with the album having "a looser vibe than our previous records." He described the album as "haphazard...loose and raw at times...letting our hair down," with "more humour" and a "celebratory vibe."^[8] In a UK interview he added that, "Everything was different. We’ve played live to tape on albums before but not to the degree of it being so dire that every member had to really hone their part for the sake of the take."^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Knock Knock"	Bridwell and Bill Reynolds	3:58
2.	"How to Live"	Bridwell and Reynolds	3:27
3.	"Slow Cruel Hands of Time"	Bridwell	3:50
4.	"A Little Biblical"	Bridwell and Reynolds	2:54
5.	"Shut-In Tourist"	Bridwell and Tyler Ramsey	4:09
6.	"Dumpster World"	Bridwell	3:43
7.	"Electric Music"	Bridwell and Reynolds	3:32
8.	"Everything's Gonna Be Undone"	Ramsey	3:19
9.	"Feud"	Bridwell	2:56
10.	"Long Vows"	Bridwell	3:43
11.	"Heartbreak on the 101"	Bridwell, Reynolds and Ramsey	4:01

Bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Ego Nightmare" (iTunes bonus track)	Bridwell	3:26

Sonic Ranch Sessions

The deluxe version of the album includes an EP, titled Sonic Ranch Sessions. It was recorded in El Paso, Texas at Sonic Ranch Studio and produced by the band.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mirage Rock"	Bridwell
2.	"Irmo Bats"	Bridwell
3.	"Relly's Dream"	Bridwell and Ryan Monroe
4.	"Catalina"	Bridwell and Ramsey
5.	"Bock"	Bridwell

Album credits

Band of Horses Benjamin Bridwell Creighton Barrett Ryan Monroe Bill Reynolds Tyler Ramsey Additional musicians Eric Gorfain - string arrangements and violin (11) Daphne Chen - violin (11) Lauren Chipman - viola (11) Richard Dodd - cello (11) Recording personnel Glyn Johns - producer, engineer, mixing Morgan Stratton - assistant engineer Bob Ludwig - mastering

Artwork Christopher Wilson - photography Dave Bett - design Sonic Ranch Sessions Band of Horses - producer Jason Kingsland - engineer, mixing Manuel Calderon - assistant engineer Bill Reynolds - mixing Adam Ayan - mastering

Reception

Mirage Rock has received generally favourable reviews. It currently has an aggregate score of 68 out of 100 from 28 professional reviews on the Metacritic website.^[10] "Knock Knock" was a minor hit in Belgium, reaching number 73 in the singles chart.^[11] The follow-up single "Slow Cruel Hands of Time" peaked at number 68.^[12]

The album was ranked #50 on American Songwriter's and #19 on Rolling Stone's lists of the top 50 albums of 2012.^[13] Rolling Stone said, "They conjure the embroidered-blue-jean countryrock of The Eagles (whose first LPs were helmed by Johns) and spike it with punk noise and a 21st-century bloodshot optimism." ^[14]

Chart performance and professional reviews

Chart Peak Australian Albums Chart[15] 21 Austrian Albums Chart[15] 61 Belgian Flanders Albums Chart[15] 27 Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart[15] 115 Danish Albums Chart[15] 9 Dutch Albums Chart[15] 55 German Albums Chart[15] 72 Irish Albums Chart[16] 20 New Zealand Albums Chart[15] 21 Norwegian Albums Chart[15] 9 Spanish Albums Chart[15] 24 Swedish Albums Chart[15] 15 Swiss Albums Chart[15] 35 UK Albums Chart[17] 20 US Billboard 200[18] 13

Professional ratings Aggregate scores Source Rating Metacritic 68/100 (29 Critics)[10] Review scores Source Rating Consequence of Sound [19] Drowned in Sound [20] Earbuddy (3.1/10)[21] The Guardian [22] American Songwriter [23] Paste [24] Q Magazine [25] NME [26] The A.V. Club B-[27] Pitchfork (4.0/10.0)[28] Slant Magazine [29] Spin [30] Filter [31] Allmusic [32] Rolling Stone [33]

References

1. Kane, Tyler "Band of Horses announce new album Mirage Rock" Paste - July 10, 2012
2. Stephen Thompson (24 August 2012). "First Watch: Band Of Horses, 'Knock Knock'". npr music. NPR. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
3. Blanton, Kristen "Watch Band of Horses Perform New Track Long Vows" Paste - April 18, 2012
4. Nelson, Michael Preview Band Of Horses "Dumpster World" Stereogum - June 22, 2012
5. Marchese, David "Band of Horses Get Back in the Saddle For New Mirage Rock" Spin - August 2, 2012
6. Battan, Carrie "Stream Band of Horses' New Album Mirage Rock" Pitchfork - September 10, 2012
7. "BAND OF HORSES AND THIS AIN'T NO MIRAGE" recordstoreday.com - September 14, 2012
8. Straw, David "Band of Horses - Interview September 2012" Contactmusic.com - September 2012
9. Cosyns, Simon "Band of Horses: How the hell we made it this far is unfathomable" The Sun - September 14, 2012
10. "Mirage Rock - Band of Horses" Metacritic
11. "Band of Horses - Knock Knock" Ultratop
12. "Band of Horses - Slow Cruel Hands of Time" Ultratop
13. "American Songwriter’s Top 50 Albums Of 2012" American Songwriter - December 4, 2012
14. "19 - Band of Horses, Mirage Rock" Rolling Stone - December 5, 2012
15. Mirage Rock Ultratop entry - Ultratop
16. "TOP 75 ARTIST ALBUM, WEEK ENDING 20 September 2012" GFK Chart Track
17. "Band Of Horses"(Link redirected to OCC website) Chart Stats
18. "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Allmusic
19. Gerber, Justin "Album Review: Band of Horses – Mirage Rock" Consequence of Sound - September 18, 2012
20. Burrows, Mark "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Drowned in Sound - September 12, 2012
21. Downey, John (2012-10-22). "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock Review". Earbuddy. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
22. Hann, Michael "Band of Horses: Mirage Rock – review" The Guardian - September 13, 2012
23. Terich, Jeff "Band of Horses: Mirage Rock" American Songwriter - September 14, 2012
24. Reed, Ryan "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Paste - September 18, 2012
25. "Mirage Rock - Band of Horses" Metacritic (Q Magazine - October 2012 edition, P93)
26. Wright, Lisa "Band Of Horses - Mirage Rock" NME - September 14, 2012
27. Inman, Davis "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" The A.V. Club - September 18, 2012
28. Hyden, Steven "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Pitchfork - September 19, 2012
29. Keefe, Jonathan "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Slant Magazine - September 17, 2012
30. Cavalieri, Nate "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Spin - September 21, 2012
31. Frodus, Fred "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Filter - September 19, 2012
32. Wilkinson, James "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Allmusic - September 17, 2012
33. Dolan, Jon "Mirage Rock - Album Review" Rolling Stone - September 25, 2012

External links

• Band of Horses official website