One of 2011’s best albums arrived here completely unexpected and unsolicited a few weeks back. The self-titled debut from FORREST DAY was released this week via Ninth Street Opus, this genre-bending Bay Area outfit manages to pack so much into 45 minutes, that it’s very possible that no review could ever do the album justice. This is a sonic ride built upon a chassis of jazz – like SOUL COUGHING tossed into a blender with THE BAD PLUS, but with an accidental sprinkling of MR. BUNGLE and some assorted indie rock records and west coast hip-hop albums. It’s just delicious.
Rock guitars, piano riffs, live strings, hip-hop beats, and horns that sound like they’ve been lifted straight from MORPHINE all come together to seamlessly play underneath the madcap vocals of the band’s namesake frontman. Hell, there’s even a rockabilly groove to be found on The Grease.
Hyperactive is one of the early standouts on the record, bringing with it a tongue-twisting chorus that with infiltrate your brain like an unkillable ear-worm – except that it’s immediately followed by River Rat, which may be even more infectious in it’s own right. And this continues.
Probably the most intriguing aspect of the record lies in the ability of FORREST DAY to work seriously dark lyrics and emotional imagery into a package that feels pretty happy on the top. If you’ve ever battled your own inner demons, whether issues of depression, sleep disorders, etc. – you’ll relate on an even higher level.
