Boom Forest is a sixteen-piece (yeah, you read that correctly) band that is comprised of some serious musicians. Among the talent-rich lineup are standouts: John Paul Rooney (producer for Mikky Ekko), members of the band PHOX, and Rick Parker (from Lord Huron). Their music isn't experimental in the sense that it's unapproachable, or user unfriendly, but it does push the boundaries of indie music by seeing exactly how much folk influence can be injected into the genre before it makes the jump to the other side entirely. The entire work represents a beautiful mix of intimate vocals, and a quiet sound that picks up every once in a while to remind you that this is one of those albums that's relatively placid at first glance, but still holds on to a good amount of pent-up energy. This dynamic gives the sound a depth that really ties the entire tracklist neatly together, and ensures that the songs don't feel underpowered or underwhelming despite their relaxed composition. Boom Forest is anything but amateur, and their music serves a good case study for where creative minds might go once all the obvious paths have been exhausted. As long as you don't get too intimidated by their lack of predictability, then you are in for a seriously awesome listening experience. You would do well to delve into tracks two, five, and six ("Bell Jar" // "Analog Cowboys" // "While You Sleep") for starters, and then into the rest of the album once you realize what a gem it truly is. You can stream the entire album over at Bandcamp, where you can also download it for free.
Boom Forest