It starts a bit like spring: the pace is slow, the sounds are new but familiar, raw emotion fills the air. A storm rolls in, the utter excitement of spring is quelled, but only for a moment until the clouds break and jubilation resumes. And that’s just the first track.
The image of spring is certainly bolstered by the sounds of the forest towards the ending of “Nomads,” including what I can only imagine are monkeys (If they aren’t monkeys, well then I sure do enjoy imagining that they are monkeys). Bells reminiscent of Buddhist prayer bells ring out on “The Tinderbox” as bird sounds and running water place further images of spring in the air. But with this pleasant sense of spring and awakening, there is a tension that can be sensed through the evolving instrumentation. The music is nervous and repetitive as if a fire threatens the forest, but the inhabitants don’t seem to mind too much as the sense of joyful dance continues with the arrival of spring.
The mood turns somber as the album rolls on. Haunting voices swirl around in the background as a string quartet of sorts plays a somber, flowing melody, perhaps mourning the loss of spring. “White Birds” sees a genesis with somber, atmospheric sounds that fill an uncertain soundscape. When apathy sets in, the texture of sounds explodes into further excitement for the upcoming changes. Summer has come. It lasts all too short as summer is wont to do. This jubilation is seldom seen after “White Birds.”
Sounds of the forest and nature remain in the mix, but they are sounds of a forest that is slowly fading as the season changes from a grand awakening to the dark cool of winter. As autumn approaches, the mood is that of apprehension, although some excitement for cooler temperatures is heard as the summer heat has been hard and the cool of fall will be a welcome treat. “The Clarion” is the start of winter and the forest is angry; distortion filled drums protest the coming cold. “Haze” calms the mood and the forest accepts that the cold is here to stay and settles down in a comfortable position for a long cold winter.
The Our Sleepless Forest album is a wonderful journey and perhaps the seasonal imagery is so strong for me because my initial listen to this album was on the first really warm spring day of the year. However, as the album moves on, the dreary songs of the latter half do not compliment the robust initial tracks quite as well as they could. Having an idea of seasonal change, it makes sense to give the ending tracks a dreary tone and it works to some extent, however it feels like the final tracks lose the complexity that starts the album. This is not a deal breaker; it just would have been nice to have a strong ending to an album with a strong beginning.
-Greg Norte