COMPASSION
Electronic, Ambient, Dub.
Ninja Tune.
Listening Format: Vinyl
Forest Swords is the alias of Matthew Barnes, hailing from Liverpool, England. He has become one of the most critically respected Electronic producers of the decade ever since his first album 'Engravings' dropped in 2013. He has since composed a score for a ballet, and worked on music and sound design for the Assassin's Creed video game series. 'Compassion' is his second proper full length.
One of the most striking things about this record is that Forest Swords certainly knows how to arrange different sounds to create haunting and compelling atmospheres. 'Compassion' isn't quite as dark and melancholic as his debut album, and weaves in a lot of tribal and ethnic sounds. 'Panic' is a highlight with a middle-eastern groove running through it as distorted and chopped up vocal samples are painted wildly across the canvas. Many of the beats try to stray from his contemporaries adding in more varied percussive sounds. Standout track 'Raw Language' has a Dubby bass and a Trip Hop influenced beat reminiscent of Massive Attack's 'Inertia Creeps'. 'Compassion' creates sounds that are relatively abstract and very atmospheric throughout, feeling like it could easily be a score to a Dystopian Sci-Fi film set in a desert.
I've had 'Compassion' on heavy rotation for the last couple of weeks now, and whilst I really enjoy it when I'm actually listening to it, every time I come away from it I don't actually remember much of what I've heard. Forest Swords is an excellent producer, arranger and sound crafter, undeniably, but I feel like he is still lacking a distinctive voice. Even though I've heard this album ten times now, if I happened to switch on the radio and one of the album's tracks came on, I genuinely don't think I would clock that it was Forest Swords. 'Compassion' is just lacking in that extra wow factor and that hint of true originality. When the album is actually playing it is difficult to fault, but there isn't really a strong lasting impression once the ten tracks are over. The reason I have listened to it ten times is because I really wanted to try and get under its skin for the purposes of reviewing the album, and not because I was really compelled to go back and listen for sheer pleasure. Forest Swords is certainly heading in the right direction and could potentially strike gold in the future, but now that this review is written, I don't think I'll be desperate to put on this album again any time soon. 7/10.
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