Recording information: Avast Studios, Seattle, WA; Echo Mountain Recording, Asheville, NC.

Photographer: Christopher Wilson.

On 2007's CEASE TO BEGIN, its second album for the venerable Sub Pop label, Band of Horses expands on the dreamy indie-rock sound of its well-received debut, EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME. The product of considerable changes for the group--namely the departure of founding guitarist Mat Brooke and relocation from Seattle, Washington to Charleston, South Carolina--BEGIN solidifies singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell's status as the central creative force behind the ensemble. Even though it does nothing to allay frequent comparisons to My Morning Jacket, the record does further Bridwell's impressive songcraft, which shines on the chiming, widescreen expanse of "Is There a Ghost" and the jangly acoustic vibe of "Lamb on the Lam (In the City)."