Foreverinmotion New CD Review
The Beautiful Unknown On One Eleven Records Out May 8th 2007
With a critically acclaimed debut behind him, Foreverinmotion and the man behind it, Brendon Thomas, follow it up with The Beautiful Unknown and its ethereal beauty.
- Genre: acoustic / rock / folk
- Brendon Thomas (instruments / engineering / production)
- Sounds like: Damien Rice / Sigur Ros / Bright Eyes / Dashboard Confessional
- Home: Chester, Vermont, US
- Foreverinmotion
Forever Improving
Following up a critically acclaimed debut album can be a daunting task, especially when that self-produced debut sells half a million copies on downloads alone. There have been many artists over the years that have found building on initial success can be harder than it looks.
Take Damien Rice, for instance – winning widespread praise for his beautiful debut O, his follow-up 9 hasn't met with the same reaction. It's not that it's a bad album – it's just that he had a lot to live up to.
Brendon Thomas could have had the same problem with his project Foreverinmotion – after all, his self-titled 2004 debut was widely recognised as one of the most impressive debuts in recent years. However, with his latest release The Beautiful Unknown, he's not only made a record to surpass his first release – he's quite possibly released the album of the year.
Solo Yet Not
What makes it even more impressive is that everything you hear on the album has been done by Brendon himself – from instruments to engineering and production, Foreverinmotion is truly Brendon's baby, and it's this almost fatherly approach that results in the 12 tracks on offer here finding their way into your subconscious and taking root.
After a spoken intro that sets the scene perfectly, Magic opens the album and from here on in it's a journey you're hoping doesn't end anytime soon. With gentle piano building into an almost orchestral accompaniment, it's a lament that shows off not only Brendon's understanding of love and all that entails, but also his rich arrangements and ear for what makes a good song great.
Empathy And Lyrics Combine
Hot Air Balloon was inspired by the suffering of a close friend of Brendon's, and it's this kind of openness and feeling for his fellow man that makes the music of Foreverinmotion work on so many levels. When he sings "Now open up your eyes / and take a good look around / at the world beneath your feet / and all the people on the ground / isn't it a wonder / how tiny we really are?", it's with a conviction that you know everything's going to be all right.
In fact, no matter where you are in life yourself when listening to The Beautiful Unknown you'll find yourself lifted, despite it being one of the most relaxing collection of songs released this year. On Clothes We Walk In, with the lyrics "I don't believe in much of anything on TV / and it's sour and synthetic taste of reality / … but I believe in love / and I believe in us", we're all reminded that the world is a far more beautiful place than we give it credit for.
Foreverinmotion Through Emotion
The Beautiful Unknown is one of these rare releases that really doesn't have a weak track on it. From the spine-tingling beauty of Flight 268 to the cathartic The Rain, which Brendon himself has said is the most personal song he's ever written, and the Celtic tinge of And The King Would Say, this is an album that not only stands up to repeated play, it demands it.
It's an often-overused cliché and one that is generally weakened because of it, yet in the case of Foreverinmotion, it can be used with no irony – if there's only one album you buy this year, make it The Beautiful Unknown. You won't be disappointed.
