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PRESS
Sounds
Around Town (Phoenix) reviews Samples of Examples
'13
I
almost think this should be called 23 Minutes Over Phoenix.
It is a brilliant lo-fi recording of all that is great in Arizona
and it absolutely brings me to my roots. Any band that can squeeze
nine songs into 23 minutes instantly has my affection, in this
case, it’s High Horse, who already has my affection. If
you don’t know, this is the side project of the brothers
Goodman of Necronauts. High Horse is Billy & Dale Goodman
with Phoenix music veteran Mike Upsahl (Stereotyperider) on
board as well. Their brand of indie rock is nothing short of
brilliant—and this release takes them just a bit further
than their debut. The concept is simple: Billy on guitar, Dale
on drums and Mike on keys, with all of them singing. This is
high energy music for everyday people who want a little more
out of life. This is how I like my indie rock, grinding chiming
guitars, pounding drums, vocals straining within their range
and maddening dashes of keys throughout, all at a breakneck
speed. High Horse makes me happy, plain and simple.
Whether
it’s the opening fun of “Bureau Of Gland Management”
to the pop hooks of “Sundays Best” or the math rock
madness of “Serve The Cervix” –High Horse has
outdone their debut in spades. “ID 10 T” keeps the
noise and harmony together with brilliant flair, “Satellites”
begins with magnificent thunderous drum rolls and “Respect
Neglect” is practically sunshiney pop at its running time
hitting less than two minutes, but it’s infectious as all
hell. “Stab On” and “Doll Hairs” continue
in this manner and by the end this is one of my favorite releases
early on in the year. The icing on the cake is, for me, a cover
of Joy Division’s “No Love Lost,” which is the
longest track on the record—I got a preview of this track
over a year ago and have been begging for them to put it out
in some official form. I got my wish and couldn’t be more
pleased—I love Joy Division, but I think they topped them
here. You don’t have to take my word for it though, you
can listen to the entire thing below. If you dig it, I suggest
you do something about it. Now get thee to the Yucca Tap Room
tonight to soak up this splendor with support from The Bovine
Fury, Couches, C. Thomas Warmuth, LI XI and Ash Reiter.
Yabyum (AZ) 2013
High Horse kicks ass. We were all made aware of this with their
2011 self-titled EP. They rocked the back of a moving van for
their music video to "Shitty Things!" With Samples
of Examples, however, High Horse has collectively stepped up
their game. If you feel like pop hooks, they deliver "Bureau
of Gland Management" or "ID 10 T." If it's a
dissonant rock feel you're going after, "Satellites"
or "Doll Hairs" will serve you well. The band manages
to juxtapose a multitude of styles and make it work. Plus the
reverb, man! Surf music definitely plays it's part in these
Examples.
Robin
Cripe (California)
Fast-paced,
upbeat indie rock, with a nice punk finish over it. Simply comprised
of a guitarist, drummer and keyboardist (and all three as vocalists),
Arizona’s newest rock and roll act, High Horse, is pleasantly
uncomplicated, an elementary, bare bones attempt to prove that
the last decade has been one of their genres best. That is to
say, these guys hit all the hotspots these last ten years have
proved essential. Their first release, self titled High Horse,
lays out a promising future for these guys. It’s catchy
in a way that’s was so perfectly captured in early punk
with an air of pop-sensibility that makes each track insatiably
catchy. After just one listen, I’m sure anyone will find
themselves singing along to their tastefully angst anthems.
High Horse is how indie rock (or just plain rock and roll) needs
to be done.
The
Daily News (Pennsylvania) PDF
Brooklyn
Rocks (New York)
There
must be something in the water in Mesa, AZ as Billy and Dale
Goodman (from The Necronauts) have teamed up with Mike Upsahl
of Stereotyperider to release a seven song EP (under the name
High Horse) of high-energy garage rock. Formed in early 2010,
High Horse had only played one show before they hit the studio
last July, recording the seven-song, self-titled EP. This isn't
the 'dirty', in-the-gutter side of garage rock but rather the
'get the party started' sound of bands like The Fleshtones.
With the melodic hooks and sing-along choruses of each of the
songs, one may not immediately notice how musically 'busy' this
disc is. All three members sing (often in multi-part harmonies)
while Billy Goodman plays crunchy garage-rock chords and angular
rhythms that zig and zag around Mike Upshal's reverb-ladden
Fender Rhodes and Dale Goodman's pounding backbeat. High Horse's
music doesn't share much in common with The Necronauts' lo-fi,
free-form indie-rock (outside of a shared pension for off-kilter
song titles) as this twenty-two minute multi-layered EP is razor
tight and sounds like the work of a larger band. The band recently
released the first video from the new EP for the song "Shitty
Things" which was filmed using an iPhone and a couple of flip
cameras.
The EP is available on CD and a vinyl 10-inch but there's no
real need to choose a format. As Upsahl explains it, "We
just slide the CD in a clear case inside of the 10-inch. The
deal we have is if you buy the vinyl, you get the CD for free;
and if you buy the CD, you get the vinyl for free. So either
way, you're getting both."
Risingfist.com
(Arizona)
Java Magazine (Arizona)
Blank.tv
Punknews.org
The
Arizona Republic
When
guitarist Mike Upsahl of Stereotyperider first got together
to jam with brothers Dale and Billy Goodman of the Necronauts,
they had no sound in mind. They just plugged in their instruments
and played a few new Upsahl songs (which, because they were
written for Stereotyperider, inevitably came off sounding more
like Upsahl's former band than they'd have liked). Then, Upsahl
took off his guitar and got behind the Fender Rhodes the Goodmans
had in their rehearsal space to play a couple songs he'd written
on piano and, just like that, the High Horse sound was born.
"It just kind of fell into place," the guitarist-turned-keyboardist
says. "It's kind of different for me because I'd been playing
guitar and singing forever."
It's not that different, Upsahl adds. "I think if you know
both bands, it's got elements of both because that's what we've
all been doing for so long."
Formed in early 2010, High Horse had only played one show before
they hit the studio this past July, recording the seven-song,
self-titled EP they're releasing Saturday, Jan. 8, with a free
show at the Yucca Tap Room. Highlights range from the majestic
neo-psychedelic flavor of "You're Nicer in My Dreams,"
[LISTEN] which sounds a little like when Blur discovered Pavement,
to the edgier post-punk guitar of the anthemic "Uncomplicated."
You can check out both songs on their MySpace page at myspace.com/highhorserockfiesta,
where you'll also find a video of them playing a song whose
title we can't share in the back of a moving van.
The EP is available on CD and a vinyl 10-inch but there's no
real need to choose a format. As Upsahl explains it, "We
just slide the CD in a clear case inside of the 10-inch. The
deal we have is if you buy the vinyl, you get the CD for free;
and if you buy the CD, you get the vinyl for free. So either
way, you're getting both."
Sounds
Around Town (Phoenix) Listens to 'Shitty Things'
This
is, unapologetically, one of my favorite songs of all time.
Seriously, this makes me smile: anytime of day or night it will
turn my mood around. Whether it’s spinning on the stereo,
blowing my mind live or as I watch the video for the 1000th
time, I love this song and the guys making it. Add to it that
the video is absolutely hilarious and as fun as the song itself
is and you have a win/win situation. Combining the talents of
Billy and Dale Goodman from The Necronauts with Mike Upsahl
from Stereotyperider, the results are an amazing blend of musical
aesthetics that at once can overwhelm the senses, yet assuage
your cerebral needs. It is, without pause, another grand slam
out of the ball park...
“Shitty Things” is absolutely brilliant and is the
song that should break these boys sound from coast to coast—it
will literally ride in the back of your mind for days, if not
weeks after you first hear it. Clearly it is the catchiest tune
on the record and the best single of the bunch, so much so that
it deservedly has a video that’s nearly as entertaining
as the song itself. Pure delicious gold. Years from now, if
someone were to ask me about the great indie rock anthems this
song would be included beside Sebadoh’s ironic “Just
Gimme Indie Rock”, Archers of Loaf’s ”Web In
Front” and Pavement’s “Trigger Cut.” It’s
that good and if it get’s out, will stand the test of time,
and if not, then it will, at least in my mind and the minds
of anyone who has ever heard it. It does occur to me at this
moment, that when the Brothers Goodman put “Shit”
in the title of a song, the produce, at least, two of their
greatest songs. Be sure to check out “Shit” from The
Necronauts Gauche Et Droite to confirm this suspicion. Brilliant
song, brilliant band...
HIGH HORSE RESOURCE
High Res Logo
Mug Shot
Samples
of Examples High Res Album Cover
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