Laredo (Band of Horses song)
| "Laredo" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Band of Horses | ||||
| from the album Infinite Arms | ||||
| Released | April 13, 2010 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 3:12 (album version) 3:28 (extended video version) | |||
| Label | Brown Records/ Fat Possum/Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ben Bridwell | |||
| Producer(s) | Band of Horses, Phil Ek | |||
| Band of Horses singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Laredo" is the second single taken from Band of Horses' third album Infinite Arms, which was released on April 13, 2010. The song peaked #34 on the US Alternative Songs chart and #41 on the US Rock Songs chart, making it the band's third most successful single after "Casual Party" and "Is There a Ghost".[1]
History
[edit]The song was initially rarely played in concert by the band, but has become a live standard since charting.[2]
As with several songs from Infinite Arms, "Laredo" mentions a specific location. Bridwell explained, "Anywhere I live, the region has its effects in the writing process, or anywhere that I end up writing songs, I'm sure it seeps into the bones," although he admitted, "I'm not even sure if I know what it's about, but maybe...there was a bit of a homesickness."[3] He was partly inspired to write "Laredo" during his time in an isolated cabin in the woods of Minnesota, he said, "There was no one around and I could just really immerse myself and whining as loud as possible."[3]
In the music video for the song, the intro is approximately twice as long as the version on Infinite Arms.
Reception
[edit]The Daily World praised Bridwell's distinctive vocals and singled out "Laredo" as a stand out song on Infinite Arms.[4] Spin magazine said, "With its midtempo stroll, crunchy Southern guitar, and Ben Bridwell's silky vocals, 'Laredo' sounds like a younger cousin of 'Weed Party' from the band's 2006 debut album, Everything All the Time."[5]
Personnel
[edit]- Benjamin Bridwell – vocals, guitars, drums, sounds, memotron
- Creighton Barret – drums, thunderdrum, percussion
- Ryan Monroe – keyboards, vocals, percussion, guitar
- Bill Reynolds – bass, tambourine, guitar, percussion, sounds
- Tyler Ramsey – guitar, vocals, percussion, keyboards, piano, theremin
References
[edit]- ^ "Band of Horses > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" Allmusic
- ^ "Band of Horses setlist statistics" setlist.fm
- ^ a b "Wanderlust Inspires Band Of Horses Infinite Arms" npr.org May 30, 2010
- ^ Kane, Dan "These new albums are right on target" Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine The Daily World, Helena-Arkansas.com July 23, 2010
- ^ Gaston, Peter "LISTEN: Band of Horses New Song" Spin magazine – April 14, 2010
