Night Horses
Ambitious but artful second album from Choice Music prize winners
Celina Murphy, 30 Jun 2009
You’re going to hate me for this, but boy, do Super Extra Bonus Party have a lot to live up to. Before Night Horses has even gotten its first spin in my CD player, I’ve clocked one of the best album covers we’ve seen all year (a curiously brilliant illustration by Stephen Mooney), not to mention their controversial taking of the 2007 Choice Music Prize; a win that sparked a frenzied industry backlash that I won’t be bothering you with. What I will do is call upon those who insisted back in ‘07 that their favourite (be it Cathy Davey, Roisin Murphy, Delorentos, Adrian Crowley...) was the more deserving winner to now, if you’ll excuse my French, shut their damn pie holes.
With second offering Night Horses, SEBP have rounded up some of the most exciting choon-makers in Irish music, a rally of international hip hop talent and a few stragglers from relative obscurity besides – a ‘Who’s Who’ as well as a ‘Who The Fuck Is This?’, as it were. Hot Press favourite R.S.A.G guests on the spellbinding ‘Who Are You And What Do You Want?’ (the boy Hickey can officially do no wrong) while folk duo Heathers help make ‘Comets’ the most enticing track on the album.
Grafted with faultless riffs and exotic hooks, Night Horses is a hypnotic record with overtones of early Go! Team. But don’t go passing it off as more of the same from the Kildare outfit. Very welcome indeed is the inclusion of fanciful gem ‘2’ which, three songs from the end, marks a shock turn into flourishing instrumentals. Even more eclectic than Super Extra Bonus Party and that bit more special, Night Horses is sure to inspire debate over its best track. ‘Comets’ gets my vote but I can see the bewitching, Cadence Weapon–aided ‘Radar’ causing a mini stir in some circles. There are certainly parts of the record I could have done without – the overzealous pounding on ‘Start To End’ and pretty much all of the twee styling on ‘Sonora’. Nonetheless what we have on our hands here is a little treasure of an album.
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