Future of Forestry concludes its Travel trilogy on a note of transcendence and release. As on the first two EPs in this series, singer/instrumentalist Eric Owyoung applies layers of acoustic and electronic textures to create intricate soundscapes within the confines of the standard pop song format. His painterly lyric style avoids blunt spiritual statements in favor of prayers and confessions expressed in evocative (if sometimes indirect) language. Travel III leans a bit more towards electronica than earlier releases, though Owyoung punctuates his techno pulsations with heavy guitar riffage on tracks like Bold and Underlined and Your Day's Not Over. His arrangements combine the embroidered minimalism of contemporary Britpop with a prog-rock sense of ambition and grandeur. Working to Be Loved, for instance, works in an almost symphonic manner as it shifts from ambient verses into a joyously uplifting chorus. Other tunes - especially Horizon Rainfall - are delicate sonic miniatures made from shimmering tones. Future of Forestry is a creative unit of unusual imagination and grace. - itunes
