by Kris Handel
When Horses Would Run is the debut full length (after a couple of EPs over a couple of years) of freak-psych garage trio Being Dead, a record that travels many mysterious and confounding paths. Each trip is well worth taking to see what wild surprises might jump out of the speakers at any moment. On their debut Being Dead traverse psychedelia and garage rock with abandon and creativity, often times coming off as some weird melange of early-Pink Floyd, Swell Maps, early-mid Meat Puppets and White Fence with a little Ty Segall. Falcon Bitch and Gumball manage to corral some eccentric musical ideas with a punk ferocity while also being able to stretch the noise out into wild terrains. While Being Dead can occasionally go off the deep end in their approach to song development, the continuing push of what is expected pays dividends more often than not and the creative energy is exhilarating.
"The Great American Picnic" kicks off the record with a loping surf guitar and pounding drums before melting into a Zombies meets Piper-era Floyd psych explosiveness that is a musical version of falling down a staircase. This track is a great introduction to the record as it gives a glimpse at the fairly wild nature of the band as a whole as well as a glimpse at their way of working with chiming and playful melodies. "Muriel's Big Day Off" comes closest to recalling ramshackle Ty Segall garage rock with its thumping drums and reverberating saunter, but with even more snotty chanting vocals. Falcon Bitch and Gumball throw a little bit of proggy Soft Machine-esque psych jazz into the mix to throw an even more unexpected wrench into the works before transitioning back to the punky garage jangle.
"Treeland" consists of wobbly vocals and an infectious early-80s DIY punk enthusiasm amid furiously strummed and careening guitars, drifting into periods of quiet stream of consciousness before bursting back into a raucous clamor. Being Dead’s ramshackle approach is highly evident here. There is a bit of a twee-like innocence that gives way to disorienting and jarring musical chaos that still finds a pop-ish foundation. "Misery Lane" is one of the more downbeat tracks on the record with it's haunting and drawling style and relatively restrained backing. Falcon Bitch and Gumball's vocals never fully connect with each other, yet the contrasting and slightly uneven shouting creates an enveloping atmosphere that works very well with the shuffling guitar and keys.
Being Dead constantly show their ability to mix pop-melodies with an otherworldly aesthetic that rarely fails to deliver delightful nuggets, leading to consistent awe from one track to the next. This record highlights a band that is unafraid to revel in their eccentricities while proving themselves to be quite adept with crafting songs that are impossible not to get lost in. Everything seems somewhat naive on the surface, but their is actually quite a lot going on with the songwriting and shifting attitude/styles that is fully captivating and keeps the listener invested and excited. This is an undoubtedly odd record, but one that somehow miraculously merges all of its influences into something that bizarrely makes total sense. When Horses Would Run is endlessly fun to listen to and easy to revel in its playful eccentricities.