Cease to Begin is the second album by Band of Horses, released on October 9, 2007. This album solidified the band's sound and was a critical and commercial success, peaking at number 35 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[12] The singles "Is There a Ghost" and "No One's Gonna Love You" appear on the album.

Quick Facts Studio album by Band of Horses, Released ...
Cease to Begin
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 9, 2007 (2007-10-09)
RecordedEcho Mountain Studios, Asheville, North Carolina
GenreIndie rock
Length34:45
LabelSub Pop
ProducerPhil Ek
Band of Horses chronology
Everything All the Time
(2006)
Cease to Begin
(2007)
Infinite Arms
(2010)
Singles from Cease to Begin
  1. "Is There a Ghost"
    Released: August 28, 2007
  2. "No One's Gonna Love You"
    Released: February 25, 2008
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More information Aggregate scores, Source ...
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubA−[3]
Blender[4]
The Guardian[5]
NME8/10[6]
Pitchfork7.7/10[7]
Q[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Spin[10]
Uncut[11]
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History

Summarize
Perspective

Following the release of their debut album, Everything All the Time, founding members Mat Brooke, Chris Early and Tim Meinig all left the band. Band leader Ben Bridwell recruited Joe Arnone (guitar and keyboards), Creighton Barrett (drums) and Rob Hampton (bass and guitar) as replacements, although Joe Arnone left the band prior to their 2007 tour. Robin Peringer (Modest Mouse - guitar), Matt Gentling (Archers of Loaf - bass) and Ryan Monroe (keyboards) joined the band for the tour, although only Monroe stayed for the recording of Cease to Begin. After the album's release he became a full band member.

The album debuted at number 35 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart[13] and was #47 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.[14] It was also a minor hit in Scandinavia, charting in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.[15] Cease to Begin was released in Japan on July 23, 2008, by Tear Bridge Records. The Japanese version featured an enhanced video for "Is There a Ghost" plus three live bonus tracks, including a cover of Ronnie Wood's "Act Together", written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which he recorded for his album, I've Got My Own Album to Do.

Ben Bridwell described the sound of Cease to Begin, "I guess the first record had some kind of country-ish leanings...I think there's maybe a little bit more of [that] feeling on it, a little more down-home...not so much indie rock."[16]

The first track, "Is There a Ghost", was made available for download on the band's MySpace page on August 28, 2007, and made number 93 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[17] The song became the band's first single to chart in the United States, peaking at #34 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[18] The album's second single "No One's Gonna Love You" was featured as a free iTunes download, distributed at Starbucks locations. While not being released as a single, "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands" was featured in the tracklist of 2009 video game Guitar Hero 5.

Track listing

More information No., Title ...
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Is There a Ghost"Ben Bridwell, Rob Hampton, Creighton Barrett2:59
2."Ode to LRC"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett4:16
3."No One's Gonna Love You"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett3:37
4."Detlef Schrempf"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett4:28
5."The General Specific"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett, Ryan Monroe3:07
6."Lamb on the Lam (In the City)"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett0:50
7."Islands on the Coast"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett3:34
8."Marry Song"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett3:23
9."Cigarettes, Wedding Bands"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett4:35
10."Window Blues"Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett4:01
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More information No., Title ...
Japan-only Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."No One's Gonna Love You" (Live BBC session)Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett 
12."Is There a Ghost" (Live BBC session)Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett 
13."Act Together" (Live BBC session)Mick Jagger, Keith Richards 
14."Is There a Ghost" (Enhanced video)Bridwell, Hampton, Barrett 
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Album credits

Band of Horses
  • Ben Bridwell – lead vocals, guitar
  • Rob Hampton – guitar, bass guitar
  • Creighton Barrett – drums
Additional musicians
  • Ryan Monroe – keyboards
Technical personnel
  • Phil Ek – producer, engineer, mixer
  • Jon Ashley – assistant engineer
  • Julian Dreyer – assistant engineer
  • Cameron Nicklaus – assistant engineer
  • Dusty Summers – design
  • Christopher Wilson – photography

Singles

  • "Is There a Ghost" (August 28, 2007)
  • "No One's Gonna Love You" (February 25, 2008)

Chart performance

Reception

Cease to Begin received a 78/100 rating on Metacritic[21] and appeared on many "Best of 2007" lists:

Cover versions

Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[24] Platinum 20,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[25] Gold 20,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Silver 60,000
United States (RIAA)[27] Gold 500,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

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