Review Summary: Oh god, FoF makes some sexy music.
Well as my first review on Sputnik after more than a year of lurking this great site I decided to go with an album that really hits home with me. Future of Forestry's Travel II was a musical advancement I'm happy the band made. I enjoyed Travel I, a lot, but I was a little hesitant when coming into the second installment of the series, I can't remember if I was afraid of it sounding too similar or too different from the sound they had crafted earlier. Luckily, my fear was dissipated within seconds of Hills Of Indigo Blue.
The instrumentation of the album is very delicate and at times intricate in the best of ways. FoF's use of different lead instruments sets each track apart from each other and gives Travels II a flow that most other albums fail to achieve. Every time I sit down and listen through it I feel as if I either hear something new or something different, it's like a movie you watch over and over again to see parts that you had gotten up to go the restroom for.
Vocally, Eric Owyoung is one the best there is. Something about his voice just sends chill up my spine. His words flow together and create a melody that cuts through the wall of noise surrounding it, it weaves and zig zags through the beautiful accompaniment and speaks volumes to the heart. In short, if I was a woman I would somehow have his children.
The only complaint I can come up is with the song So Close So Far. Do not get me wrong it's a great song but I feel as if something about, maybe the slow drone of it, that breaks up the album a little too much for my taste. It's not a drastic thing or an ugly scar for Travels II but I personally get a bit antsy to skip on to the next song.
