Foreverinmotion – The Beautiful Unknown

Artist: Foreverinmotion
Album: The Beautiful Unknown
Label: One Eleven Records
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: May 8, 2007

Overall: 9.0
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 9.0
Production: 8.0

Behind the graceful Foreverinmotion tunes streaming out of my speakers is just one man, Brendon Thomas. Somewhere in the vicinity of three years ago, I was captivated by Foreverinmotion’s self-titled full-length; I wrote of it, “The music is slow yet powerful, ordered yet emotional, peaceful yet full of energy. Lyrically, each song brings more amazement. This is the kind of stuff that you sit down and wish you could write. Chock full of beautiful metaphors, Brendon uses the English language in a way that brings words to life.”

Three-some years later, I’ve experienced a great deal in life and my music tastes have changed substantially. Brendon’s music, however, still strikes a chord with me. Why? The songs on The Beautiful Unknown somehow capture this beauty of the unknown through masterfully pieced together guitar (acoustic and to a lesser extent electric), vocals, piano, and various other recordings. The quoted materials from Hurricane Katrina at the start of “Avalanche,” for instance, set me up perfectly to shiver every time I listen to the song. After set-up is of course the action: Brendon’s music and voice suddenly and powerfully take control of the song and also of my mind and body. Stylistically, Brendon’s varied rock, folk, and of course, singer-songwriter influences are noticeable in the refreshing mixture of songs on the album.

The album displays its lyrical greatness on so many levels: significance, proximity, intelligence, playfulness. When I heard “Flight 268” I was moved to a state of teary-eyedness because I felt like the song was written specifically for and directly to me as I’ve been struggling with the issue in question for some time now, namely opening up to people despite living such a transient life. “And the King Would Say,” on the other hand, is clearly speaking of a much more prominent figure, delivering a political statement. Foreverinmotion exemplifies the possibilities of what is categorized as “emo(tional) music” — that is to say, the album is a musical delight, plain and simple.

Tracklisting:
1. Magic
2. Hot Air Balloon
3. Goodnight
4. The Clothes We Walk In
5. Flight 268
6. The Rain
7. Open Eyes and the Boundless Sky
8. And The King Would Say
9. Avalanche
10. Turn and Chase the Wind
11. Talu
12. Lonely

P.S. I took a listen to the 2004 album, and while good, I must say firstly that I can really tell my musical taste has changed and secondly that The Beautiful Unknown is leaps and bounds better.