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The Lonely Forest - Arrows
:: April 12, 2011 :: by Pat Hosken
The Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most important alternative music of the last few decades. Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie and Fleet Foxes have all called the rainy, pine-laden land home, not to mention the entire grunge scene. Anacortes, Washington’s rocky quartet The Lonely Forest returns with their third album, Arrows, a slice of alternative nostalgia.
The album is the first produced by Trans Records, the venture of Death Cab’s Chris Walla. After forming in 2005, the band’s Regicide EP helped them win the Experience Music Project competition the following year. Now, three albums later, Arrows slides them back into kaleidoscopic view.
Slow-burning opener “Be Everything” recalls the articulate vocal delivery of Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard wrapped in an unfolding bouquet of acoustic plucks and violin whines. “Turn Off This Song And Go Outside” is a carpe-diem pop anthem to love and adventure, complete with catchy riffs tap-tapping drums.
Evoking the hum-along pop of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Arrows glides along through 12 tracks, each a piece of alternative pop that’s polished and dripping with alternative standbys—“I Don’t Want To Live Here” sounds like a forgotten Death Cab track from The Photo Album era, complete with a thick keyboard chord breakdown and choppy percussion.
Sure, it’s easy to say The Lonely Forest play it safe. But does that make their music any less enjoyable? The answer is a resounding no. Step into their wooded Washington glen and let their pop sounds keep you company.
Listen to "Turn Off This Song and Go Outside":