Band of Horses Cease To Begin Grade: B+

Band of Horses might have committed one of the most egregious "sellout" sins in recent rock history (licensing last album's monster standout tune "The Funeral" to Wal-Mart for an online ad selling camcorders), and frontman Ben Bridwell might have yelled at a fan for having the temerity to record a shaky cell-phone video of one of the band's performances. But while one might question BoH's adherence to indie's DIY values, the quality of its second and latest album Cease To Begin is more difficult to dispute. \nWhile Cease doesn't quite capture the magic of the best moments on 2006's Everything All The Time, it comes fairly close, and the album only falls short by expending all its best tracks in act one.\nCease opens with an absolutely stunning trifecta of songs. "Is There A Ghost" starts off with a combination of guitar strums and Bridwell's voice, which sounds like it's emanating from the core of the earth. Then, upon reaching the one-minute mark, the song erupts into a hammering torrent of drums and guitars. "Ode to LRC" is a grand anthem with loping guitars and languid vocals -- the signature sound that brought BoH to everyone's attention in the first place. And "No One's Gonna Love You" is a sweet, slow, romantic number that could soundtrack the last dance at an indie-rock prom. But nothing else measures up to this opening -- and for the rest of the album, interesting tunes ("The General Specific," "Islands On The Coast," "Marry Song," "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands") are countered almost tit-for-tat by retreads ("Detlef Schrempf," "Window Blues") or filler ("Lamb On The Lam (In The City)").\nStill, the album has plenty to enjoy. Check it out before any of its tunes end up soundtracking Viagra commercials.