Comprised of four seasoned stalwarts from previous notable Bristolian outfits like The Blue Aeroplanes, Beatnik Filmstars, and Girl By Girl, FOREST GIANTS clearly have pedigree and their intuitive understanding of what sounds good bears fruit in fine fashion throughout their second EP "UFO Stories."
Initially, you think singer/ guitarist Tim Rippington and his talented cohorts have tapped into a Bristolian vein leading to the supposed 'nu-shoe' artery, as the opening one-two of "Beards" and "Oh No" are both dense, guitar-heavy affairs. However, both reveal hidden depths - "Beards" finds what sounds like a marimba playing a winning counter melody below the surface while "Oh No" goes from slow and inchoate to speedy, punky and sawn-off to great effect - and prove conclusively there are far more sonic possibilities brewing in the Forest Giants' collective still.
The following clutch of tracks go ahead to demonstrate this to be the case too. "Peculiar Feeling" is the Giants' heartfelt tribute to Elliott Smith (who sadly died during the making of "UFO Stories") and it's a spooked, sombre semi-acoustic affair filled out beautifully by Paula Knight's haunting violin. "Sunrise" is memorable, too: a warm'n' lovely set-piece with hymnal organ and echoes of the Velvets and Mazzy Star by the time the guitar solo's drifted in.
The EP continues with the title track, a weird, OST-influenced outing with swooshy oscillations, piano and Tim reciting an abduction story: "it was domed on top and around the base and wings...purplish yellow light was flickering from it," he intones, before concluding "the craft floated over the car and into the nature reserve." Whoo. Who said the Pixies had the monopoly on songs of this extraterrestrial nature, eh?
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Forest Giants' then continue to mine a diverse seam with the EP's concluding track, "Late Night In The Park", which starts out as keening, downhome acoustic loneliness with the occasional shadow of The Field Mice flitting around. Ruth Cochrane's supple bass line and finally the rolling, patient drums gradually enter the equation and the track finally reveals its' vintage indie colours.
It's a lovely way to sign off, but only if you miss out on the EP's first pressing, which also jealously harbours two extra tracks. The first, "Interlude" is truly odd and otherworldly, and suggest maybe the Giants were briefly whisked away for an extraterrestrial assignment after all, while the closing "World Goes Round" finds the band re-entering the atmosphere with a lo-fi, but gripping tale of a family break-up. A sad, but movingly memorable place to call it quits. For now.
"UFO Stories", then, is a fascinating case file that requires in-depth aural investigation. You don't need Mulder and Scully to tell you Forest Giants excel where extraterrestrially cool indie guitar sounds are concerned.
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