Ben Bridwell's swelling sonic ambitions were apparent from early in his musical career. Now the frontman and main brain behind Band of Horses, as a member of the Seattle indie act Carissa's Wierd, he had a knack for pushing the borders of jangly, somewhat mopey rock towards outer space. When that outfit dissolved, he and another bandmate formed Band of Horses, and things got even more cosmic. In the early days, the band played with such stripped-down, honesty-peddling acts like Iron and Wine, and mined the same kind of emotional tenor. It struck a chord in the rainy Pacific Northwest and eventually scoring the group a deal with Sub Pop.
But as Band of Horses has evolved, its sound has gone towards something more grandiose, a gauzy, gently trippy cloud floating over Bridwell's naked-soul lyrics. It's the kind of introspective, but dreamily textured and expansive stuff that seems tailor-made for soundtracks and cameo appearances. (Indeed, the band's tracks have regularly appeared in emotional-type montages on high-profile shows from Gossip Girl to One Tree Hill to 90210, as well as films like Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist and Zombieland.) Despite the ever-encroaching threat of a Death Cab-style mainstreaming though, Bridwell and company come across as earnest, rather than opportunist. Meanwhile, they seem to boast an endless supply of lovely chords and hopelessly romantic lyrics, more of which can be found on the band's upcoming third studio album, Infinite Arms, due out May 18 on Columbia/Fat Possum/Brown Records.
Band of Horses. 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 28. The Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Tickets cost $24.50; livenation.com
