SĒN Baltimore Magazine - Nightlife, Local Music, Events and Podcasts

 The newly formed Stalking Horses' latest release, This Is Your Signal (Beechfields) creates Lilith Fair nostalgia. The resentful first track, "Dawnfingers", depicts the sun as a symbol of good vibes which Sarah Pinkster, lead vocals and guitar, loathes for its presence every morning. The rhythms are subdued and this rock and roll album almost blossoms into a folk album. Their cover of Bruce Springsteen's I'm On Fire is a peaceful melody played up by Pinkster's rough vocals. The album finishes strong with "Sweet and Strange". This song is especially impressive because you can definitely feel the uplifting subjects that Pinkster speaks of. Although many rock and roll bands tell us how to feel many times, it is a hollow topic, something we can just sing along with and half relate to. Pinkster is not afraid to take risks, thank goodness. She was a solo act in DC before collecting several friends to form a band.

Baltimore Magazine refers to them as "blissfully ragged melodicism" but I think the album is less complex. Each song has its own distinctive energy which sometimes leads to breaks in the flow of the album. While some songs are more upbeat and danceable, others can simply be described as slow rock. The whole album is a weighted scale of pessimism and optimism.
 

photo taken from www.stalkinghorses.com