| | Full Review | Ratings (431) |
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| 4.5 superb | Mark Campbell | September 28th 09 |
1-2-3 H the B, 1-2-3 H the B. HORSE the motherfucking band, motherfucker. Yeah this rules
5 Bumps | Bump |
| 0.0 | Ethics | September 27th 12 |
It's too much fun. From the first track you can tell that the musicianship is obviously incredible. Transitions will take you from a session of charged drums, to a dreamlike bridge, then a breakdown for the coda from leftfield that imitates the introduction. Laughter and various other sound effects can be heard throughout, like their fully aware of the genius being displayed and having a great time doing it. And the synths! HORSE the Band without a doubt at their prime on this and their music really exemplifies that... music like this doesn't really come around all too often. The band executes their fun, comedic, and 8bit-esque formula incredibly well on Desperate Living and by doing so, create a energetic and unique listening experience. Not to mention these are some of the greatest people to ever pick up an instrument. Check out any of their interviews or the EARTH TOUR excerpts on youtube and you can tell immediately that they're just kind hearted and a really cool set of people. Through the years, HORSE the Band's been through a shit ton and Desperate Living exemplifies that by providing a clear example of what making music is all about. I honestly can't imagine seeing this album as anything other than classic.
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 5.0 classic | Shadein | December 26th 10 |
This could very well be my favorite album ever. It's sheer brilliance cannot be matched. None of the songs sound the same. It's different than anything I've heard before. It's heavy, it's catchy, it's atmospheric, it's dark, it's comedic, it's soothing, it's unpredictable. The replay value is off the charts; you'll always notice new things to hear each time you listen to it. The only gripe I have with the album is that Rape Escape should've been the last song. Other than that, it's a finely crafted album that will never get old.
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | sexualsoybean | September 26th 09 |
HORSE's most serious and technically advanced album so far. Really good stuff here
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Tristan | August 24th 12 |
For the best part of decade now, HORSE The Band has been releasing albums, under a banner which vocalist Nathan Winneke once jokingly described as 'nintendocore'. Their first few releases were a fun and nostalgic nod back to the earlier days of gaming, mixing 8-bit video game sounds with metal and hardcore, however it was 2007's, 'A Natural Death' which really made me take notice. Now they're back with, 'Desperate Living', a crowning achievement, which not only raises the bar, but shatters the bar into a million pieces. See, HORSE The Band has always been a band which jokes around, writes absurd music and pretends not to care about anything. Yet under the facade of 'not giving a shit' there's some talented and gifted musicianship at work, all of which is on display here. Highlights include fist pumping anthem, 'HORSE The Song', electro-rock masterpiece 'Shapeshift' and the glorious conclusion, 'Rape Escape' which culminates with a chaotic classical piano solo, meshing with crashing drums and guitars to create a gloriously deranged work of art. Proceed with caution.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.5 average | Progmaster85 | December 17th 09 |
The band annoys me. One of the weaker bands in mathcore for sure.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Sean Rizzo | November 2nd 09 |
Funner to listen to than their other albums, much better vocals, more dynamic and flat out awesome moments, better songs, lack of weak songs, immense replayability, perfect and not forced synth. You'd have to be dumb/gay/poor not to buy.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Erik Bailey | October 16th 09 |
"Desperate Living" is very entertaining and showcases HORSE at their best. What slows down the album at points is a lack of focus that sends it off in different directions. It's a little bit of a grower, but overall an album that everyone should give time.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | EverythingEvil2113 | October 15th 09 |
Desperate Living is Horse the Band's most focused release to date. It's still pretty quircky and goofy but it seems like a more serious effort for the most part. The synthy nintendo parts are much more prominant than in the past and they really keep the songs interesting. But in all actuality, even if there were no synths this would still be a kick ass album, but the nintendo moments make this more unique than every other post-hardcore or metalcore band out there. The vocals aren't really too different from past releases but I always enjoyed em so that's a plus. All in all this is by far Horses best release so far and probably in my top 5 for 2009.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Betermin | October 8th 09 |
I keep listening to this record and it's growing on me. It's definitely not their best to date. It's not The Mechanical Hand 2. Neither was A Natural Death . It sounds mixed out too raw for it's own good. The vocals need to be better separated from the mix, as does the bass.
That being said, the song writing (mostly on Lord Gold's part) is pretty good. I wish the guitar was a little more technical and varied and that the lyrics were a little more original. But the record still has a few gems. I will continue to support HORSE as I have for several years.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Travis Montgomery | April 3rd 13 |
Definitely sporadic, but still an enjoyable album. Albums like this are the right way to merge electronic music and post-hardcore; pretty much the "Right" to every Sturgis-core ever's "Wrong". 3.7/5
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| 2.0 poor | Andrew Walker | February 5th 13 |
Just what in the fuck is this horse-(the band)-shit?
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| 3.0 good | Brighter Than the Noonday | January 25th 13 |
This frightfully inconsistent effort from one of metalcore's most unique bands comes off bland at first and has great patches that outweigh the negatives. The release just doesn't hit enough highs to completely erase its mistakes. HORSE the Band is very talented, and they display that readily here, but they just need to slow down and add more structure rather than eccentricities.
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| 5.0 classic | Whatsgood | July 24th 11 |
We live in a world where HORSE the Band brought Jamie Stewart, Valentina Lisitsa and Vernon Chatman (PFFR, Towelie!) onto an album. Thank you, HORSE the Band.
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| 4.0 excellent | Laura Maziejka | December 9th 09 |
HORSE the Band, just recently released the album "Despirate Living"
This band has an amazing live performance, they get into every aspect of their music, and make it come alive. I can say That "Despirate Living" showcases how talented the band actually is. The lyrics on this album catch my attention. These lyrics are definitely more "deep" then Their last album.
Rarely do I say a band does better on their new albums, but I can say that HORSE the band is making me rethink that, completely. I wasnever a huge fan, but once I gave this album a listen I was blown away by about how much more interesting they became, with their music and lyrics.
No tonly did I listen to the album, I got the chance to sit down and watch the Music Video for the song "ShapeShift"
The video was creepy, weird, spazzy, and everything I would hope to see in a HORSE the band music video. Other then this music video being one of my favorites in 2009, the song is magnifcent. The lyrics are written extremely well, and the music itself catches you and reels you in.
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| 2.5 average | itsxjoe420 | November 28th 09 |
i still say A Natural Death is the best. I believe it was definately the heaviest
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| 3.0 good | OlDirtyPaule | October 15th 09 |
Metalcore is probably the genre that needs new influences most desperately. Therefore, HORSE the band's attempt to use quite complex song structures and introduce these electronic "nintendo"-sounds should be generally welcomed ... I mean, who would have expected black metal and singer-songwriter stuff to be compatible before Phil Elverum has proven it?
However, the result is quite disappointing and this is even more frustrating, since apart from the electronic sound gimmicks everything else is highly enjoyable - there are dozens of memorable melodies, the songs are most often very interesting due to the uncommon song structures, the guitar play is full of ideas and the clean and shouted vocals are top-notch. I don't know whether "hard" metal and electronica can not be mixed (Fear Factory have done it, i guess, while Waltari failed) or it is just that HORSE the band's limitation to the simple nintendo sounds is responsible, but imho they destroy most of their songs by these annoying parts (listen to the "Science Police", for example).
Overall, I rate this a C+ (3.0 stars). Maybe a B- (3.5 stars) would be more appropriate, but this is a still far away from the "B+" (4.0 stars) I would consider for the "pure songs".
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| 0.0 | Ryce | September 29th 09 |
One of the song titles destroyed a piece of my childhood. Sick record, though.
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| 4.0 excellent | Chris | May 5th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | Owen | April 18th 13 |
| 3.5 great | ilkb | March 30th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | maddin | March 8th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | ethixx | February 4th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Phate72 | January 25th 13 |
| 3.5 great | OllieS | January 11th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Propose | December 31st 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Ecotone | December 23rd 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Henevest | December 23rd 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Salesman | December 13th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | akimbo | December 13th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | ancore | November 15th 12 |
| 3.5 great | nemuru | November 14th 12 |
| 1.5 very poor | IcyLily | October 23rd 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | SethEZ | October 19th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | cliiint | September 28th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | GB7 | September 20th 12 |
| 3.5 great | 01011 | September 16th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Feels | September 7th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Lucs99 | August 7th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | iglu | July 11th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Shevanel | November 26th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Jips | September 6th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | fox | August 26th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Bogdan | August 11th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | hughes | July 11th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Thane | May 3rd 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | GLaDOS | March 8th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Narshh | February 9th 11 |
| 2.0 poor | Ross22 | February 2nd 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | mvood | December 31st 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sunborne | September 20th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | mnlol | August 13th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Bill | July 19th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Isoas | June 30th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Tom | June 14th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jin | May 23rd 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Casey | April 20th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Kanyon | April 11th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | GhostK | April 9th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | ojkr03 | March 16th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | J.R. | March 13th 10 |
| 2.0 poor | mkCII | March 12th 10 |
| 3.5 great | GaryT | March 10th 10 |
| 2.0 poor | Aziz CONTRIBUTOR | March 6th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Toy | March 5th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | erinxduh | February 26th 10 |
| 3.5 great | maxd89 | February 22nd 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Marco D | February 19th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Shpongle | February 16th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | yty | February 8th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | drmoody | January 19th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | MrChuck | January 12th 10 |
| 2.5 average | shuffly | January 2nd 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Charlie | December 26th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | 3PointJ | December 23rd 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | urrburr | December 12th 09 |
| 2.5 average | Kakuran | November 30th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Pizza | November 29th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Beorn | November 21st 09 |
| 4.5 superb | 6604 | November 9th 09 |
| 1.5 very poor | Squib | November 6th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | joshrm | November 4th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Tom Tom | November 1st 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Since89 | October 29th 09 |
| 3.5 great | drew | October 22nd 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | mouette | October 21st 09 |
| 5.0 classic | ntrno | October 21st 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | DoOrDie | October 18th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | TEM | October 14th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Photon | October 14th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Rodrigo | October 14th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Msuen | October 11th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | gafel | October 5th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | ameypv | October 5th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | GBJ | October 4th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | John K | October 4th 09 |
| 3.0 good | alsid | October 4th 09 |
| 3.0 good | bloc | October 4th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | t0x | October 2nd 09 |
| 3.5 great | Groink | October 1st 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Andy | October 1st 09 |
| 4.5 superb | mar1s | October 1st 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Mouth | September 30th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | delooks | September 30th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Motiv3 | September 30th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | Jezzami | September 30th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | KYZAR | September 29th 09 |
| 3.0 good | Skyler | September 29th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | Nifkin | September 29th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | soma | September 28th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Seroxat | September 27th 09 |
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