Forest Fallows, the bedroom recording project of Mike Barnett and Alex Morton, has teamed up with John McEntire (Stereolab, Tortoise, Modest Mouse) to produce their sophomore album Palisades, a mellow, vintage-esque indie record. Based in Tucson AZ, their sound is a blend of the production and style of the 60's and 70's with the quirks of 90's indie and post rock. Their influences range widely from pop outliers Steely Dan and Gerry Rafferty to underground visionaries Tortoise and Michael Nau.
Palisades, their second LP, is a step forward in production from their first with a cleaner overall sound thanks to improved home recording techniques and the adept mixing of John McEntire. The album is characterized by vocal harmonies lush with spring reverb lacing through a clockwork of acoustic guitars and a closet full of various percussion and noise makers. While stylistically the songs vary from one to the other, Palisades maintains a familiar cohesion, with the last song opening into a vast instrumental piece featuring McEntire on drums. The lyrical content of the album includes reflections on past relationships as in the opening track "Better Each", while other tracks read like colorful dreams and visions, as in "Saturday Rose" and "In Light". As a whole, the album is light and upbeat but not overly sweet.
Forest Fallows is a passion project of two like minds who have lived and worked closely together for more than ten years. Through their constant back and forth of ideas and music they've developed a shared aesthetic. Palisades reflects where their diverse musical tastes have arrived, reaching for something new in the music of the past and the future.
Forest Fallows Palisades is now available everywhere.
