The “spot the influence” game is a favourite in the critical fraternity, particularly when seeking to discredit a new band. Sometimes it’s legitimate and a new artist is basically a tribute band with different lyrics and titles. That may be fine for what it is, but it’s fair enough to point out to someone that if you already own the original’s albums, the imitator probably isn’t worth your money. Other times it’s unfair and the new band is more than the sum of its influences.

I’m struggling to work out into which category Band of Horses fits. The first thing you notice is the reverb-drenched vocals that cut through the mix to your ears before anything else. It’s as if the speed of that sound is just that little bit faster than the others. A name pops into your head almost as soon as your brain realises what it’s hearing—“Jim James”.

Yes, the shadow of the My Morning Jacket frontman looms large over the debut album, Everything All the Time, by this Seattle five-piece. You’d think it churlish to call “copy!” over something as individual as vocals, but style and production play as much of a role as genetics. While My Morning Jacket is not a household name in any but the most defiantly indie of residences, they tend to play to the same audiences that Band of Horses will be targeting and the comparisons are inevitable.

Ben Bridwell does indeed sound a lot like Jim James. He sings in a high register, he wails, he lays on the vibrato. The production relies on the same liberal use of reverb that I’ve heard described as “singing in a grain silo.” And the band, while less countrified than MMJ, still rock out with a bluesy swagger (MMJ’s “One Big Holiday” or Band of Horses’ “Weed Party”) and play mellow, delicate pieces (MMJ’s “Knot Comes Loose” or Band of Horses’ “St Augustine”) alternately.

The problem with imitators tends to be the same with photocopying: something always is lost in the reproduction. And in the case of music where creativity is vital, something is lost even if nothing is changed. An artist admired almost exclusively for their technical proficiency—say, Luciano Pavarotti—can be imitated flawlessly and the imitator almost reaches the same heights. Someone as idiosyncratic and unpredictable as Jeff Tweedy can be mimicked but never equalled because those attributes (idiosyncrasy and unpredictability) by definition can’t be facsimiled.

And yet it’s the odd artist that can sound remarkably similar to another and actually achieve the same level of transcendence. To these ears, Band of Horses have released a stellar album of great songs, lifted into the stratosphere by Bridwell’s powerful voice. I suspect it will be more enduring than plenty of other current buzz bands. Is it as good as MMJ? I submit the evidence to you for your verdict.

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