The i/o track for May has a rather strange title. The content is about the unholy overlap that can arise in organisations and religions between peacefulness and violence. The title is based on the Buddhist parable of the four kinds of horses, which stand for different paths a student can approach their spiritual practice. The song then hints at a fifth - one that thinks of itself as different, but only to do it all again
Four Kinds Of Horses was already mentioned in the Uncut article in March - as a "slow-burning epic that rumbles along on thick, metallic basslines and lustrous strings". And indeed, in a low-threshold way, the piece has an epic grandeur - a bit reminiscent of a dark James Bond song: restrained yet full of tension.
Interestingly, the development of the song goes back to Richard Russell's Everything Is Recorded project. Gabriel was asked to contribute there, and in about 2015 they both tried to combine a couple of Gabriel's compositional fragments with a groove by Russell. The results did not satisfy them and were dropped. Later, Gabriel changed the rhythmloop and thus the mood of the song and was able to develop a new chorus that finally worked for him.
For the length of the song, the lyrics have a fairly clear structure - two verses, followed by a longer chorus, and a final section that repeats the same passage four times. The content seems simple at first, but it contains several layers.
It begins with mysterious words - they are murmured in the song at first. There, everything "seems so simple" - but there is also "the darkest superhero" bursting into our fear. In addition, not further defined "they" are named: "They fill your head".
The refrain then becomes almost an incantation: "Come, all the nights". And someone is addressed directly: "There is the load. - This is how you travel if you live to see the world explode." Then the titular four kinds of horses are mentioned. Most importantly, it says: "you saying something different, but you do it all again."
Then in the second verse it becomes fully clear: "Oh, mother illusion, [...] such a dark, dark shade of fame". And again comes the accusation that someone thinks he is different.
The final part is then just sombre sentiment: "We feel the vibration, we're all holding it down, it's coming out of the ground".
All lyrics of the album can be found on Peter Gabriel's website here.
The artwork this time is a photo print. It is entitled Snap and was created by the British artist Cornelia Parker (*1956). A pale background in beige-grey, on which the contours of a broken wine glass are blurred: its base, a small part of the stem, as well as the actual, semicircular body of the glass, which appears most blurred. The image does not look like a captured household accident, but more unreal, more ghostly.
The technique behind this print is called polymer gravure etching. It involves applying a light-sensitive macromolecular layer to copper or steel, exposing it to light and then treating it to create a deep relief similar to an etching, from which prints can be made on paper. The photographic process, on the other hand, takes its cue from old techniques used by the first photographic pioneers of the nineteenth century.
Parker usually makes large-scale installations and is particularly known for presenting fragments of blown-up objects such as wooden huts. Gabriel, however, opted for a very different kind of her work. Parker was also originally considered (as was Tim Shaw) for the art project for the US album.
The work Snap is from 2020, measuring 32.6 × 30.4 cm as a print - and shows destruction in a seemingly quite harmless, insignificant way - but nevertheless there is brutality in it.
We have gathered more about the artworks and artists behind them here.
Four Kinds Of Horses seems somewhat atypical for Gabriel with its slight trip-hop touches. Which is, of course, due to his origins - and doesn't have to be a disadvantage.
At first, the song might seem a bit uniform - which is mainly due to the fact that it does not contain any melodic changes worth mentioning and only draws its tension from the condensation of the arrangement. There, however, it has many details.
The intro is a creeping rhythm loop, accompanied by underpinning sample sounds, a lying, discreet organ. The actual song enters at second 13 and also includes a change of key. Sparkling sounds are added (Eno's "worms") and weighty electric bass beats.
With the introduction of the vocals, a simple but effective 'snap' element is added to the restrained rhythm groove. Further electronic accompanying elements are interspersed. But the overall appearance remains calm. Gabriel also sings in a low register. It all seems somehow composed, but has a restrained tension. Something remains hidden.
In the course of the song, the tension slowly increases - the arrangement becomes denser very gently. For the first chorus, Gabriel switches to singing an octave higher. Further electronic percussion accents are added. There are also polyphonic choir vocals. But it stays with that lazy trip-hop groove. There is no colossal increase or even discharge here. The march continues in the direction taken and cannot be stopped.
The second verse retreats musically, and is also sung low again at first. After the first half, however, it changes back to the high register - and also the arrangement fills up again. The intensity increases. Remarkable: there are these "worms" again, that now wander in the stereo image.
The second chorus fills with more strings, more vocal elements - everything becomes more oppressive.
The part with the main lyric ends after about two thirds of the song (4:19). Here, there is almost a complete scaling back of all accompaniment. A new beginning follows, new elements are also interspersed (such as the plucked sounds of the strings). Gently it lifts into the final part. Deep male voices sing the text of muted sensations.
For further compression, the rhythm doubles the basic beat at 5:20, the strings raise it to heights, intricate singing weaves itself in. The complexity continues to increase, yet all the while this eerie restraint remains.
Almost deliberately, the song eventually peters out, reducing heavily to piano at the end.
The overall feeling of Four Kinds Of Horses remains in a way synthetic throughout - there is no real warmth, no beautiful friendliness to be felt. The drama, which is nevertheless clearly present, is not as obvious and prominent as on Signal To Noise, for example.
We don't hear a full studio band here - only Levin and Rhodes are present. Essentially, the song is not a "band piece" but "texture-oriented".
Many rhythm samples are used. Four people are responsible for the rhythm programming - after all, Gabriel himself seems to operate some analogue percussion.
Already known from previous tracks are the orchestra (again arranged by John Metcalfe) and Melanie Gabriel in the backing vocals (although her voice is again not particularly central - basically anyone could sing there).
Gabriel also makes a point of the elements that Brian Eno has once again contributed, which Peter calls "electronic worms". This refers to the "high frequency sounds", which blink at the beginning of the song and then again and again in the arrangement, and which lurch slightly in pitch with their metallic sound.
A novelty for i/o is that this time a co-producer is named: Richard Russell. This is probably mainly due to the evolution of the song and the fact that rhythm tracks from the original works are included.
The Briton Richard Russell works in the field of electro, rave and trip-hop, produced Bobby Womack among others, but also his own pop songs (in the early 90s). His Everything Is Recorded project (released in 2018) is a richly layered session work with an all-star ensemble.
The alternative Dark-Side Mix could be heard a little early on Youtube. Namely on the evening before the new moon and thus at the same time as the start of the i/o Tour in Krakow. A nice offer for all those who stayed at home.
It is interesting that this time the second mix has quite a different effect than the first.
The arrangement of the Dark-Side Mix is once again much more empty than that of the Bright-Side Mix. The abundance of musical elements is not as high and the technical density through limiting is not as strong. All in all, the Dark-Side Mix seems freer in comparison - but perhaps also more brittle and edgy.
It focuses on certain elements. The vocals are more central in the front, many accompanying details fall far behind. For example, the "Worms" by Eno, which Gabriel emphasises so much. In the first verse, they are clearly at the back - later, they are almost not heard at all.
Instead, other things are more perceptible. Directly in the opening (in the transition from the prelude to the actual song) the short, spoken text becomes clearer - although still not really understandable. In general, the basses get more emphasis in the mix and the rhythm loop is more prominent and is in parts put together differently.
Completely new are small accompanying percussive tones in the verses or guitar licks later in the second verse. There are also lines from the strings that were not known before.
In the first chorus, the arrangement initially focuses almost exclusively on piano and guitar chords. It only fills in as it progresses. The same applies to the second chorus, which also contains the already familiar strings. Everything remains very free, so that you can hear the existing details well.
The density familiar from the Bright-Side Mix only comes in at the end. More precisely: from 5:20, when the basic beat doubles. Then, in addition to the already familiar sounds, some interjections from the strings can be heard, which had previously been lost.
On the whole, this Dark-Side Mix again does not have the grand gesture (some might call it dramatic) that Spike Stent's work has. The result here is more collected, more tangible, less possessive, so to speak. And indeed darker once again.
After a small delay due to technical difficulties, the In-Side Mix only appeared on Apple Music on 22 May. On Amazon Music, the problems were apparently solved earlier. Here, the mix was available since 19 May.
In the intro, it is noticeable that both the delay-processed programmed drums and the guitar can be heard more discreetly compared to the other two mixes. Everything sounds a little more subdued.
As with the previous In-Side Mixes, the music again fills the entire room panorama, as expected. The first sung sounds, alienated with Auto-Tune, are introduced by a threshold effect that cannot be heard in the other two main mixes. From this point on, one is reminded of the Dark-Side Mix by the occasional female vocal interjections.
In the drums, however, there is a new element, a snare beat on counts 2 and 4. The rhythm groove is thus briefly reminiscent of Mama by Genesis.
As the song progresses, it is noticeable that the guitar is very subtle. Instead, especially in the last two minutes of the song, the bass comes into its own a little better through a different sound. In addition, the orchestra seems to be used differently or mixed with different emphasis.
Shortly before the actual outro begins, the plucked strings are processed with a delay effect. The reverberating tones move from one side to the other in the sound panorama.
As with the other i/o songs released so far, this In-Side Mix is largely between the Dark-Side Mix and the Bright-Side Mix. Individual elements or focal points from both mixes are recognisable, while at the same time there are also details in the In-Side Mix that are new and appear differently through sound or mixing.
The additional version of Four Kinds Of Horses for Bandcamp subscribers is called "Post Band Version". This means that the band recording has already happened, but the final arrangement has not yet been put together. Two factors stand out in particular: The orchestra is still missing and Manu Katché can be heard on the drums.
All other musical components are identical - as also the credit list states.
The Post Band Version is roughly based on the Bright-Side Mix, but also has some ornamental elements from the Dark-Side Mix. On the whole, however, the arrangement is very drained.
The intro of the main part already has less details (although the "worms" are present). Above all, the strong bass beats are missing - they join in later. In general, the bass has been cut back a lot in this version, which clearly takes away the fullness of the otherwise familiar course of the verse.
In the chorus, discreet drums appear - essentially dry snare beats, which, however, seem to stand out somewhat in the restraint of the whole arrangement.
The fact that a different vocal recording is used becomes apparent at the beginning of the second verse, when the line "your mind is made up" is phrased differently - and then again shortly after the change to the higher vocal register, when there is a change back to the lower register after just one line.
In the general reduction at 4:19, small new electric noises can be heard, which have more or less the character of the plucked strings, but which here begin at a different spot. In the rest of the final section, of course, the strings are clearly absent. Only a few synth violins are mixed in very finely. Here, the reduced density of the arrangement is most noticeable.
The outro is also different: the "vibration" text is sung through and instead of the final chord of the other mixes, it continues here for another 27 seconds with discreet drums and guitar sounds. This short epilogue is perhaps musically nice, but also seems (especially knowing the main mixes) rather tacked on.
But the Post Band Version (you could also call it pre-release final version) is interesting overall, because it once again makes clear what significance the strings actually have in the two main mixes. The general calming down of the arrangement - also due to the "de-emphasised" bass - gives the opportunity to perceive the basic structure of the song even more.
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