Spring Break
Who Is Mike Horn?
Stephen Ortiz
Issue date: 5/6/07 Section: Focus
"It was a pretty amazing feeling considering there were so many people who submitted their demos," said Horn. "I've always been confident about my music but I think it really gave myself that extra boost that I needed to take myself to the next level."
"Borders" is a combination of musical attitudes that compliment the band's wide range of talent, but also finds itself easily accessible. With influences such as Jeff Buckley, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Elliott Smith, Mike Horn and The Method have quite a lot going for them.
While usually it is best to compare young talent to other artists to get an idea of the sound, "Borders" is a ten track trip that doesn't stick with one genre, and instead displays what the band is capable of. Their range of talent spans across the album, from the baby-making smoothness of "Don't Let the Words Leave this Room" to the groovin' garage band ballad "Pretty Mind."
From the start, the smoothness of Horn's vocals stand out. On "We Can Try," a laid back jam that taps into that Dispatch vibe, the lyrics melt over the background track, giving off a great summer song vibe that will most certainly have you singing along.
"We can try / we can try / we can fall asleep in elevators / instead of saying see you later," Horn croons. Nonsensical? Yes. But oh so catchy.
One of the album's many pleasant surprises, "In Store," sounds like something from a Maroon 5 album, but minus all the wild effects and sounds wholly sincere. It opens up with a mellow combination of acoustic, electric and keys before finally dropping the drums and Horn's rejuvenating vocals.
On one of the best songs on the album, "It All Kicks In," Horn sounds quite confident despite the contemplative content of the lyrics and the chorus highlights his and the band's ability to deliver catchy music fitting of today's music scene. The tempo is slow, matching the slow delivery and drawn out syllables of the lyrics, but then picks up on the fantastic chorus complimented with background "oohs."
"Borders" is a combination of musical attitudes that compliment the band's wide range of talent, but also finds itself easily accessible. With influences such as Jeff Buckley, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Elliott Smith, Mike Horn and The Method have quite a lot going for them.
While usually it is best to compare young talent to other artists to get an idea of the sound, "Borders" is a ten track trip that doesn't stick with one genre, and instead displays what the band is capable of. Their range of talent spans across the album, from the baby-making smoothness of "Don't Let the Words Leave this Room" to the groovin' garage band ballad "Pretty Mind."
From the start, the smoothness of Horn's vocals stand out. On "We Can Try," a laid back jam that taps into that Dispatch vibe, the lyrics melt over the background track, giving off a great summer song vibe that will most certainly have you singing along.
"We can try / we can try / we can fall asleep in elevators / instead of saying see you later," Horn croons. Nonsensical? Yes. But oh so catchy.
One of the album's many pleasant surprises, "In Store," sounds like something from a Maroon 5 album, but minus all the wild effects and sounds wholly sincere. It opens up with a mellow combination of acoustic, electric and keys before finally dropping the drums and Horn's rejuvenating vocals.
On one of the best songs on the album, "It All Kicks In," Horn sounds quite confident despite the contemplative content of the lyrics and the chorus highlights his and the band's ability to deliver catchy music fitting of today's music scene. The tempo is slow, matching the slow delivery and drawn out syllables of the lyrics, but then picks up on the fantastic chorus complimented with background "oohs."
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