> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://helpful-koala.pikapod.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# On Dark Horses
- URL: https://helpful-koala.pikapod.net/on-dark-horses/
- Published: 2024-11-09T21:29:05.000Z
- Updated: 2025-01-02T03:35:09.000Z
- Description: A conversation with a colleague led me to a surprising musical discovery.
- Author: Robert Rackley
- Tags: Noise, #robert-2, Friday Night Video, #Import 2025-12-24 10:01, #Import 2026-07-11 23:34, #Import 2026-08-02 01:19, #Import 2026-09-14 17:25

Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague about music. I had gone to see one of my direct reports' bands, and they were really genre-hopping. I told her about the experience and mentioned that they blended such far-flung musical styles as punk, hip-hop, and shoegaze. She said she loved shoegaze, but when I asked her if she was going to the Slowdive show, she confessed that she hadn't heard of them. I was a bit shocked, since I would consider them just below My Bloody Valentine in the pantheon of shoegaze progenitors. I asked her what shoegaze bands she was into and she mentioned Emma Ruth Rundle, whom she described as metal/shoegaze.

The conversation caused me to make a mental note to check out Rundle. I had heard of her playing a metal festival in Asheville (which was postponed after the devastation of Hurricane Helene). What I heard wasn't what I had expected, since it sounded to me more like post-rock than anything. The first album I looked at, *EG2: Dowsing Voice* had song titles like "Brigid Wakes To Find Her Voice Anew. The Little Flowers and Birds Show Themselves." It was like a game of *how to tell me your music is post-rock without telling me your music is post-rock*. Next, I came across the *On Dark Horses* album, which really connected with me. Rundle often seems to do more acoustic psyche-folk these days, but this album was different.

Rundle has a dark aesthetic which, at least on *On A Dark Horse*, pairs well with the primal post-rock rhythms. There is a bit of desert noir in the mix. "Darkhorse" is a particular favorite, its shifting, moody instrumentation serves as a vehicle for Rundle's powerful and plaintive vocals. When I listened to the album, I was recommended Russian Circles *and* Mazzy Star. That is as sure a sign as any you are on the right track.

Here, Rundle performs "Darkhorse" and "Control," two standouts from *On A Dark Horse* with a full band.

Emma Ruth Rundle - Full session | Highway Holidays TV ([YouTube](https://youtu.be/TXCjEKpwtRc?si=eKJpUzGgio%5FDqp%5Fc&ref=helpful-koala.pikapod.net))