Cease to Begin

Cease to Begin is the second full-length album by Band of Horses, released on October 9, 2007. Lead singer Ben Bridwell said about the album in an interview: “I guess the first record had some kind of country-ish leanings and things I think there’s maybe a little bit more of feeling on it, a little more down-home, I guess, and not so much indie rock.”

The first track, “Is There a Ghost”, was made available for download on the band’s MySpace page on August 28, 2007. This song was #93 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[2] The song became the band’s first charting single in the United States, peaking at #34 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[3] The album leaked to the internet before its release. Shortly after the official release, the album’s third track and second single “No One’s Gonna Love You” was featured as a free iTunes download, distributed at Starbucks locations.

The album debuted at number 35 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 21,000 copies in its first week.[4] This album was #47 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.

Cease to Begin was released in Japan on July 23, 2008 by Tear Bridge Records. The album featured three live bonus tracks and an enhanced video for “Is There a Ghost”.

Track listing

1. “Is There a Ghost” – 2:59
2. “Ode to LRC” – 4:16
3. “No One’s Gonna Love You” – 3:37