In a time where many have long yearned for the return of Frank Zappa’s eccentricity, When Horses Would Run proves itself to be a surprising gesture of experimentation. The band’s Bandcamp page of the album alludes to its concept of the three members’ friendship with one another as expressed through differing times and situations. The stylistic variance between the minimal “God vs. Bible”, the Western-like tension in “The Great American Picnic”, and “Livin’ Easy”’s noisiness will no doubt prove Being Dead’s punk-like versatility.
Records that were written as an ode to relationships are commonplace, However, the trio shows it off in style through their whimsicality. With the switch-up between surf rock and heavy metal in the end of “Last Living Buffalo”, there are always left-field changes in each section that you might never expect. There’s also the twee-ness of “Daydream” that begins with a pulsating convergence of clapping before it switches over to being tinged with dream pop. Add in the carnivalesque psychedelia in the title track, you can always feel the sense of life vibrating throughout the album.
The production, done by veteran Jim Vollentine, is reminiscent of the 1960s and you can truly sense it thanks to the ways that the album plays with its recordings. “Treeland”, as one example, features an instance of backmasking when the band mumbles about what to include in the festival. In addition, the flip towards jazz in “Muriel’s Big Day Off” is unexpected without the feeling of being disorientated. These bits of technicality allows Being Dead to stand out from regional rivals by proving that you can be good at playing your instruments while keeping your sense of humour.
Although “Holy Team” and “Misery Lane” respectively look at the 2010s’ indie folk rock and the 1990s’ slowcore, the improvised skits add to the parodic atmosphere well. In turn, it really hammers the point of how Being Dead’s focus on comedy works out very well for them. After all, who in Texas is capable of making childlike, contrast-filled bops like “We Are Being Dead” in a way that’s like Canada’s the Unicorns? Or how “Oklahoma Nova Scotia” leaves a heartfelt ending of hitchhiking with an explicit image of drinking a “cocaine bottle”? When Horses Would Run relies on its all-over-the-place ideas for humorous purposes and while it might make for a confusing listen at times, there is fun to be had in its zaniness.
