I wrote about Forest Fire back in ‘06 on TPATS, and to me their sound has changed quite a bit since then. Thankfully someone else with some resources took notice of this band from Brooklyn and put out a cd this past year. The album, Survival, the label, our friends at Cat Bird Records, which is a perfect fit if you ask me.
I came across Forest Fire like I said in ‘06, but it was only because band member Adam Spittler told me about them, since I was in contact with him about his side project Black Dragon (which is still phenomenal…I once had hopes of releasing it on the my never created label, oh, how ambitious we were…), but anyway, he told me to check out his other band, which happened to be Forrest Fire, and that was all she wrote. I downloaded what tracks I could, back when Myspace aloud you to do so, and have been stuck with those, that is until Survival.
I was thrilled to see on another blog a mention about Forrest Fire and I was immediately smiling from ear to ear. Finally a proper release! I mean, this is one of those bands that you are literally shocked they don’t have an LP out there. Well they do now, and it’s a good one!
Somewhere between an almost jaded not quite lo-fi rock in instrumentation, but a lo-fi rock persona and a broken down fishing cabin out of place in the heart of the city, lives Forest Fire’s Mark Thresher’s urban cowboy voice; haunting at times, Parsonesque at others. Are they folk, well no, do they have slide guitars and a kind of city folk feel at times, yes they do, and that’s welcomed with open arms, because these guys pull it off well, but they also can harness soundscapes of electro knob turning fuzz, unusual percussion, acoustic guitars, slightly out of tune brass, screachable violins, and layers of electronics, that make Forest Fire in a category unto themselves.
While you can no longer get a hard copy of the limted release, you can however download it in it’s entirety for FREE, or , and I recommend this even if you download it for free, you can head over to itunes and show these guys a little love.
From their Myspace:
Survival was recorded over an eight month period in two locations – Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Oregon. “Not all the members of Forest Fire live on the same coastline,” Mark Thresher explains, “So when certain friends roll through town, things happen pretty quickly.” Consequently, long periods of time passed between sessions and the songs sat untouched for months. Many of the tracks were recorded live in less than five takes, then maniacally overdubbed by a variety of players. Sometimes there was only one microphone for the entire band. Sometimes they pulled out a few more. “No one was in a hurry,” Thresher says, “but eventually enough material was gathered to justify putting something out.”
“For me, this thing is a document of stylistic integrity that felt very important to all of us at the time,” says Thresher. But Survival also houses a feeling of blatant disregard, one that unabashedly nods to the rich and historic landscape of American punk rock. The tracks are littered with out-of-tune horns, vibrant bursts of guitar and layers of screeching electronics. Nathan Delffs’ frantic guitar work threads throughout dark and carefully executed harmonies by the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Myisha Battle and Nick Delffs (Shaky Hands). Ghostly synthesizers, arresting vocals and loose percussion are woven together under the glimmering production values of Adam Spittler. Thresher’s lyrics also require a close listen; while brief, they remain consistently purposeful and sincere.
Survival is a moment-to-moment kind of recording. Songs of total grit will suddenly part to reveal blue sky, before dissolving once again into disorder. On tracks such as “Slow Motion” and “Sunshine City”, sparse arrangements creep along, then grow as thick and tangled as jungle brush. On “Through My Gloves”, Thresher spits in waves, threatening and concise, and ditches the restrained lyrical approach for a moment. He casts a convincing scene; “I’m living for what’s on my mind”, as if to defend something sacred. In contrast, “I Make Windows” aches along delicately and the catchy and imaginative “Fortune Teller” holds an outright pop sensibility. Although Thresher describes it simply as “something that felt very important to all of us at the time”, Survival is a modern album, built with enough fortitude and spirit to warrant repeated listens.
(mp3) Fortune Teller
(mp3) I Make Windows
DOWNLOAD ALBUM from Cat Bird Records
Watch a great interview with the band over at UNCENSORED.
PURCHASE
Filed under: New Music , Adam Spittler, Black Dragon, Cat Bird Records, Forest Fire, Mark Thresher
