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JFH Music Review


Future Of Forestry
Travel III EP



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 6 tracks: 24 minutes, 26 seconds
Street Date: June 29, 2010


What is it about trilogies that make consumers so curious? Time after time, it's always the third installment of movies, books and music that can make or break a series. While concept and series-based albums are nothing new, Future of Forestry have tried their hand at the approach with the Travel EP series, and with the long awaited Travel III finally in our grasp, the trilogy is now complete. The question is, was it ended on the high note it deserved?

"Bold And Underlined" majors on a simple drum scheme and repeated distorted guitar riffs, but paired with somewhat ambiguous but striking lyrics, it's a captivating opener ("I think I'm falling slow, I think I'm falling fast/You think that time would know how long the feeling would last/I wonder how you give, I wonder how you pray/I wonder how you live and drive your demons away"). "Working To Be Loved" is mostly acoustic guitar led, but with a strong section filling in the chorus, it quickly becomes a more complicated song than it starts. The real treasure of the EP, however, resonates in "Did You Lose Yourself?". With layers and layers of synthesizers and a beautiful string section in the tune's climax, it's easily one of the most epic songs recorded by FOF and rivals the majesty of Travel II's "Slow Your Breath Down." Even though half of the song is purely instrumental, it's the vocal-straining chorus that transcends to the listener and makes the song so memorable ("Did you lose yourself?/Did you leave yourself behind?/Did you lose yourself?/Did you let your heart unwind?").

"Protection" is the most uncharacteristic of the EP, almost carrying an industrial rock sound to the plate. Indeed, if the lyrics' nature wasn't so positive, Nine Inch Nails could have easily covered this song given its dark nature and lack of order ("Been burned, been fooled, been lied to/I want to reach you/You been healed, been wise, been sung to/I want to reach you//Trust me, I can feel what happened/I can hear your dangerous question/Trust me, I can see you want protection/You want protection"). Flittering synths, smooth violins and thumping percussion make up the core of the brief but stunning "Horizon Rainfall," which while the shortest offering on Travel III is hardly lacking in musical atmosphere. The EP's finale, "Your Day's Not Over," consists of a xylophone's chimes with a full orchestral ensemble accompanying shortly after.

While this reviewer could very well be in the minority to possess this mindset, Travel I was an overall dreary and uneventful beginning to the series. The striking "Traveler's Song" aside, the songs were very well produced, but meandered between melodramatic and uninteresting. Travel II was a dramatically different story; with plenty of artistic quality, catching lyrics and overall likeability, it ranked among the best EPs of 2009. It almost seemed a little surreal how much better it sounded than the first. Travel II seemed so obviously the best installment by far, but it's the inclusion of Travel III in the equation that makes it all the more complicated.

Comparing Travel III to its predecessors, it's quite possibly the best of the series, maybe even FOF's best work to date. With an immense amount of musical variety and ambition, it hits all the right notes while maintaining a state of cohesiveness and style. No matter how it's sliced, Travel III is still an EP, but what Future of Forestry has achieved in these six songs is extraordinary and undoubtedly more than worth a listener's ear. It's quality over quantity, no doubt, but as a result, Travel III is driven to be among the best projects of 2010.

- Review date: 7/26/10, written by Roger Gelwicks of Jesusfreakhideout.com



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JFH Staff's Second Opinion



The final piece of Future of Forestry's "Travel Trilogy" is here with the aptly titled Travel III EP. The final EP follows suit with its predecessors: Travel name, travel theme (this time it's automobiles), and six songs. The comparisons pretty much end there. Travel III is a very airy and ambient sounding experiment, which features a different sound for the indie alt-rockers. A majority of the album features more drum machine, "hip-hop style" inspired beats; the different sound still seems to work for singer/front man, Eric Owyoung, who seems to make whatever he puts his talents to sound great. The album starts with the track "Bold and Underlined," featuring a nice guitar riff and you think, "Here's the Future of Forestry I'm used to". As you prepare for the song to progress, the undeniably catchy beats kick in and you notice the change. "Working to Be Loved" is an extremely catchy acoustic guitar driven songs that may remind you of something Jars of Clay would do. "Did You Lose Yourself?" is the next track up and it features some powerful vocals by Owyoung on the chorus as he asks, "Did you lose yourself? Did you leave yourself behind? Did you lose yourself? Did you let your heart unwind?" "Protection" is easily one of the best songs on the EP and is laden with head bobbing beats and some simple, yet nice, guitar work throughout. "Horizon Rainfall" comes at you with the most airy sound of the EP. The strings, piano, and Owyoung's falsetto make this a beautiful song to experience. The EP closes with "Your Day's Not Over" which has a big intro reminiscent of older FOF. The song shifts to a slower beat and strings before eventually moving back to the bigger sound to close the album and the "Travel Trilogy". This is not your typical sounding FOF album, but you if you are a fan of the band or alternative indie rock, this is an EP you are going to want to check out. I promise you won't hear anything else quite like it. - Michael Weaver, 7/7/10

 

. Record Label: Credential Recordings
. Album length: 6 tracks: 24 minutes, 45 seconds
. Street Date: June 29, 2010
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. Bold And Underlined (4:05)
  2. Working To Be Loved (3:49)
  3. Did You Lose Yourself? (4:47)
  4. Protection (4:14)
  5. Horizon Rainfall (2:54)
  6. Your Day's Not Over (5:00)

 

 

 

 

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