FOREST CITY LOVERS - Carriage

It's almost hard to believe how much Forest City Lovers have evolved in sound since their debut full-length, 2006's The Sun and the Wind. That album (which followed a self-released EP by FCL frontwoman Kat Burns) sounded a lot like other reflective singer-songwriter types: bedroom-quiet, with light flourishes of drums or trumpet on the odd track. However, with stronger melodies and smarter lyrics, it quickly placed Forest City Lovers as a band to watch. Their next album, 2008's Haunting Moon Sinking, previewed many of the new musical ideas explored on Carriage, mainly the addition of a full band, with the violin becoming a prominent part of their sound.

Well, as much as we enjoyed their first two albums, Carriage is an entirely different creature. The quiet singer-songwriter moments are almost non-existent this time around, with every song feeling all-around bigger. You can tell this is the work of a band that is comfortable playing together, with the different sounds and influences of each band member (including bassist Kyle Donnelly, violinist Mika Posen, drummer Christian Ingelevics and guitarist Tim Bruton) blending like never before. For example, the effervescent "Tell Me, Cancer," with it's summery vibes and downwright salty lyrics would have been shocking to hear on their older discs, but when placed between the grand "Phodilus & Tyto" and the electrifying "Minneapolis", it fits right in.

Another successful experiment is the swinging duet "Pocketful of Rocks" (with Born Ruffians' Luke LaLonde lending his pipes), a song we predict will become the soundtrack for many summer romances for years to come. Furthermore, the powerful chorus of "Constellation", which has Ms. Burns singing "Stitch a map of our new home/and then we'll run in that direction", could be the best indication of just how far they've come and stands amongst the album's top moments. If Carriage marks a new direction for Forest City Lovers, then we'll be running right after them.