Music Review: Act So Big Forest; Triton, a compilation of CO-bands

There are a lot of music-collective groups bouncing around Colorado these days (so many, in fact, it’s hard to keep track of them all). In my opinion, creating a culture that fosters cooperation and collaboration truly speaks volumes about the local music community. Case-in-point: Act So Big Forest Compilation Vol. 1: TRITON. A broad range of acts from all-over the Front Range constitute the 20 bands featured on the compilation curated by Jonathan Alonzo (who is a member of at least 5 groups on the ASBF label).

Since talking about every track on this hour-and-a-half long release might get a little long winded, I’m only going to talk about my personal favorites. However, this is by no means a way of saying these are the only good tracks, it’s all quite good (don’t take my word for it, just listen for yourself).

Candy Claws – “Snow Bear River Fire”: This track could be the lost child from Hidden Lands. It’s hard to listen without hearing many of the same themes and tricks (and maybe even a few samples) utilized in Candy Claws’ recent full-length. Overall it’s a delightfully dreamy song with that great, hazy Candy Claws sound.

Eliza Boote – “In the Stairway Where the Paper’s Torn”: A beautiful, blue, velvety-reverb-drenched tune from Fellow Citizens singer Boote shows what happens when traditional folk-singer-songwriter style gets mixed with the shimmery sounds of dream-pop. While the reverb washes out the lyrics, it is the melody and harmony of Boote’s voice that draws the listener in.

Galaxies – “Lost at Sea”: An emotive electro-pop tune reminiscent of The Postal Service, “Lost at Sea” is a nice punctuation in the gaze-heavy Triton. The synth-driven bridge is certainly the most the dance-driven portion of the entire compilation.
Roger; Roll – “Digging”: The recent resurgence of Eric Peterson’s Roger; Roll has been a sound for sore ears. “Digging” has the avant-pop styling and quality that could only come from placing a skilled multi-instrumentalist and songwriter at center stage.
Thrifty Astronaut – “Psychedelic Kingdom in the Sky”: I think personally being from Fort Collins has given me a special appreciation for this song; although anyone remotely familiar with hippies should get a kick out of it. People in hippie heaven: Karl Marx, Jesus, Jimi, Janis, Jerry, and Lyndon B. Johnson (turns out he was a hippie all along).

Visit www.minesblog.com/music for a link to download Triton and a stream of the entire record.