Emerging in Eugene, Oregon, Forest Mountain Lion’s newest offering, Love and Other Acts of Subversion, is both a deep examination of the experience of living, loving, and resisting in a complicated world and a deeply layered sonic experience. The album, which features nine songs, is the result of three years of writing and being recorded over six months. The extent of time and work reflects both the patience of the artist and the purposeful engagement of the project.
The project is labeled as "animist folk rock," layering acoustic guitar and electric sound with themes of unconditional love, reverence to the land, and quiet protest against the disconnection of modern life. Forest's songwriting evokes the spirit of Neil Young combined with the experimental edges of Porcupine Tree, yet his vocal delivery is sincere, focused, and unwavering.
The songs "Earth Back" and "Songlines" are environmentalist ballads, calling humanity back into reciprocal relationship with the earth; on the other hand, "Wolves" and "I'll Meet You There" plunge into the murky depths of human connection and emotional healing, all while I was presentable by lovely harmonies (thanks to Courtney Renea and Jacob Sellars) and exclamatory violin from ANUMI.
Forest not only sang and played guitar, piano, and drums, but he also engineered and produced the entire album by himself. He did that, which is impressive and adds to the raw realness of the album. Love and Other Acts of Subversion reminds us that music can be radical, tender, and transformative.
Follow Forest Mountain Lion for more amazing updates and performances:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forestmountainlion
Bandcamp: https://forestmountainlion.bandcamp.com/
Website: https://www.forestmountainlion.com