Review Summary: The Forecast have left behind a gem that shines brightest in the sun.
We’re all bearers of a parasite. We spend vast majorities of our time lurking the corridors of music, accompanied with only a flashlight as we traverse the underground of the world’s musical fissures. We voluntarily submit ourselves to this journey, and it exhausts us. We sometimes become so disillusioned with it all that we fail to recognize the parasite that latches onto our skulls and distorts our senses. My fellow voyeurs, it is the parasite of complexity. It’s common with repeated sessions with obscure music. …In other words, it frequents music review sites relentlessly and lecherously. This incessant pest knows that we, as enthusiastic music reviewers and avid concertgoers, as archaeologists of defunct interviews and live shows, are seldom content with merely scraping the surface of this realm we’ve accustomed ourselves with. We desire to dig deeper to unearth more complex musical formulas. Our natural resources in the field seem to be running on low lately – after all, so many ideas and derivatives of ideas have been tapped into already – that it’s natural to seek more abstract solutions. At the same time, though, we possess a dangerous tendency to avoid more straight-forward releases. If it’s easily digestible on the first listen, it paints a picture possessing very little shapes, colors, or other distinguishable intricacies. But this ideology is a hazardous fallacy, toxic and contagious. Writing off music for being straightforward is a joke, and it’s important to note this because I had about forgotten it myself.
Fortunately, The Forecast came into my life just as I was getting overwhelmed with music, and their latest album
Everybody Left serves as a stark reminder that there’s no need for an album to be unnecessarily complicated. There’s no mistaking this release’s strengths, its consistency, humility, and palatability. The entire record is incredibly consistent, and its catchy melodies never relent. Throughout the short running time of
Everybody Left, The Forecast constructs memorable melody after another without requiring respite. There’s a veritable amount of variety present here – The riffs of “Skyline” will entice many a pop-punk fan, while “Figure It Out” bolsters a vaguely country vibe. The Illinoisan alternative group tries their hand at a wide palette of sounds here, and succeeds in diversifying its sound whilst strengthening its core.
There’s a danger in reaching too high, for we aren’t always capable of grasping what we desire. The Forecast are familiar with this principle, and avoid the unknown for purposes of working with what they already have. This level of maturity is evident all throughout the release. From the comfortable production and mixing to the diverse instrumentation present (atmospheric guitar effects are even showcased, post-rock mongrels!), the band knows their target audience as well as the newcomers they attempt to obtain.
Everybody Left will serve the same purposes as its predecessors in the band’s discography, keeping it consistent while adding tinges of experimentation. This is why this release is nothing more than a highly enjoyable record, but to fault it for that would simply be unfair. Ultimately, The Forecast have accomplished what they set out for in the first place, and have left behind a gem that shines brightest in the sun.
