Record Review: Quiet Hooves

by | Mar 28, 2011 | Reviews

Quiet Hooves
Saddle Up
Athens, GA

“Weird, endearingly awkward pop”

Quiet Hooves don’t come from left field, they reside there. For the band’s most recent full-length, Saddle Up, the story is a weird one. While the group generally employs 8-12 musicians while performing live, the album was written entirely by front man Julian Bozeman, who then let his bandmate, Javier Morales, single-handedly perform and record the entire album himself.  This knowledge is enough to make the project alluring, but we’ve yet to address the music.

Raised on a diet of Van Dyke Parks, Tom Waits and Randy Newman, Julian Bozeman and his brother Patrick set out to make quirky, weird music. Often pleasantly jarring, the ten tracks utilize horns, strings, drum machines, bells, keyboards and a myriad of other instruments to craft poppy, angular, endearingly awkward hooks. Subtly is the last goal in mind for Quiet Hooves and rarely is anything reserved or quiet, but nothing ever gets overbearing.

The obvious standout is “My Girl” with its round bass, strange keys and electronic drums. “AVP” manages a disjointed ebb and flow and the title track (and album closer) enters synth-driven, space territory. No sound left unexplored; this is devotedly adventurous music. (Party Party Partners)

Produced and recorded by Javier Morales // Mixed and mastered by Joel Hatstat

-Sean Zearfoss

quiethooves.bandcamp.com