UFO Stories
© Copyright-Forest Giants
(634479218460)
Record Label: Breaking Down
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FOREST GIANTS "UFO STORIES" EP
Forest Giants release their second EP, "Ufo Stories, featuring six songs about all aspects of Forest life:
"Beards" - a simple pop song warning of the dangers of losing contact with old friends in the search for a better life..
"Oh No" - a paranoid rant against the feelings of insecurity
"Peculiar Feeling" - the band's tribute to singer Elliott Smith, who died during the making of the record. The "peculiar feeling" of the title is the way you can feel when you immerse yourself in someone else's life through the medium of a pop song...
"Sunrise" - if you've ever seen a stranger pass by your window and get the weird feeling you could spend the rest of your life with them..
"Ufo Stories" - a musical tale of ufo spotting in Australia circa 1976.
"Late Night in the Park" - a story of lovers who's lives are so far apart they spend all their time together wondering when they will next meet..
The first pressing of this CD contains two additional unlisted tracks:
"Interlude" - is it possible the band were abducted during the making of this CD?
"World Goes Round" - a sad tale of family break-up..
Of the UFO theme running through this record, singer Tim Rippington says "we've always been fascinated by ufos - or rather, by the people who are fascinated by ufos! For many it's a whole way of life, and a pretty bizarre one at that. There are so many tales of ufo sightings and abductions, yet when you sit down to read them they all sound so innocuous..
In the USA, one in ten people claim to have had a close encounter of some kind - so maybe there is something going on out there, or maybe there are a lot of people deceiving themselves and their friends for the sake of a bit of publicity - we leave it up to you to make up your own minds.."
Band Biography:
Forest Giants are from Bristol, England. They are a four piece featuring ex-members of some of Bristol's most creative and successful bands.
Bass player Ruth was with the Blue Aeroplanes during their early years, and played on the seminal "Spitting Out Miracles" album. She later toured the USA with another huge cult band, the Mekons.
Drummer Tom and guitarist Tim played together in the Beatnik Filmstars, between them appearing on five John Peel sessions as well as touring extensively in the US and the UK with such great bands as Flaming Lips, Superchunk, the Wedding Present and Guided by Voices.
Keyboardist and violin player Paula formerly sang and wrote songs for another successful Bristol export, Girl Boy Girl, who released a great album through US label Kittridge in 2002 before she was struck down with a mystery ailment which forced her to temporarily give up playing music...
The current line-up is:
Ruth Cochrane - Bass
Tim Rippington - Guitar, Vocals
Tom Adams - Drums
Paula Knight - Keyboards and Violin
The first Forest Giants album, "In Sequence" was released in March 2004 together with a 7" single version of the song "Postcards".
Both received significant airplay and some fine reviews, with BBC 6Music's Gideon Coe being sufficiently impressed that he asked the band to play live on his daytime show.
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At times blissful crushing on one hand and starry eyed the other
author: Losing Today
Much to our horror and ineptitude we must hold our hands up in shame and admit to having had this for a fair few weeks now, our only excuse in defence is that it got way laid under the mountain of CD’s currently sulking for attention in the corner of the Losing Today listening room. Forest Giants are a super group of sorts featuring ex members of the much-missed pop terrorists Beatnik Filmstars, Girl Boy Girl and the Blue Aeroplanes.
Following their debut outing last year with ‘In Sequence’, ‘UFO Stories’ sees them pooling their resources for something that’s simply arresting albeit slow to catch light, featuring 8 tracks including two mystery tracks that once initial pressings are sold out won’t feature thereon in – this really is one of those oh so rare releases that offers something different with every repeated listen. ‘UFO Stories’ deploys an awesome array of softly caressing glacial pop signatures that at times are blissful crushing on one hand and starry eyed the other, not a million miles from Beatnik Filmstars just less wilful and more focused. ‘Beards’ with its seductively lined dreamy backdrops of hazy feedback is an unadulterated treat of arcing atmos – pop that crosses the divide where ‘A Catholic Education’ era Teenage Fanclub meets early career Flying Saucer Attack.
One thing that becomes apparent almost immediately is their at ease ability to tweak moods, the sapping ‘Late night in the Park’ is tragically beautifully and spars perfectly with the lo fi acoustic tribute to Elliott Smith on ‘Peculiar Feeling’ where the mix of torturous longing and sadness is lifted by the memories of what’s gone before and peppered throughout by Paula Knight’s majestically melancholic violin arrangements which hit you hard. At the other extreme the celestially charged ‘Oh No’ is drenched in feedback washes reminiscent of early Moose and Telescopes and packs a rather nifty though punishing hip grooving punch as it flickers into action. ‘Sunrise’ replete with hymnal keys has a sublime Velvet-esque edge about it bled through by celebratory heart hurting riffs as big as skyscrapers. ‘UFO Stories’ is your basic spacey jam with spoken word story telling over the top in this case a UFO incident in Australia c. 1976 - very Elemental / Rooney in feel (and eeriness). Equally strange is ‘Interlude’ which is basically a sub 2-minute routine in oscillating drones scapes that begs the question where the band abducted at this point.
Best cut of the set though is ‘World goes Round’ which as mentioned earlier may or may not appear on your copy depending whether or not you have the first pressing or otherwise which to be honest is a shame because this is a gem, spectral with the feedback left on the back burner and delicate ethereal touches taking their place to create something that’s pretty much on par in terms of soft sheen psych cool of JMC at their most breathtaking. Essential as if it needed saying.
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Forest Giants enter a bid for noise-pop supremacy.
author: Aversion.com
Now that The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club hung up its distortion pedals and turned in its copy of Psychocandy, somebody will have to rise to the occasion and become the next Jesus and Mary Chain-worshipping outfit. With UFO Stories, The Forest Giants enter a bid for noise-pop supremacy.
While the Bristol, England band doesn’t stick to the JAMC formula as tightly as BRMC did (nor does it have a fancy acronym for the press to seize hold of), this EP melds the JAMC mold of ear-splitting pop tunes with shoegazer melodies and, occasionally, nods toward modern indie rock. It’s a mix whose melodies are strong enough to get pop fanatics of all sorts’ interest revved up while maintaining a presence strong enough to hold rockers’ attention.
Centered around a fascination for UFO lore that’s less “the truth is out there” geekery and more Close Encounters of the Third Kind, this album’s a quick trip around the Twilight Zone that’s wrapped in heavy distortion. “Beards” kicks off the EP with a swirling mix of fuzzy-blanket melodies that’s halfway between JAMC distorto-pop and psychedelic Britpop of The Charlatans’ U.K. mid-’90s heyday. “Oh No” is a slightly noisier number, as the band’s guitars venture into Sonic Youth-like levels of crunch, though singer/guitarist Tim Rippington’s sing-along vocals and the band’s overwhelming sense of melody keeps it from getting tangled up in Goo. “Peculiar Feeling” opts for a breezier feel, as a loping bass line and acoustic guitars intermingle with a violin to make nods toward the Neil Halstead/Mojave 3 crispness.
The band’s UFO obsession spins a bit out of control on the title track, where dark and creepy ambient noises cycle in and out of focus, while Rippington’s spoken-word tale of alien visitation. After four tracks of hook-heavy pop, the tuneless number doesn’t fit with UFO Stories’ melody-driven album.
Nonetheless, The Forest Giants’ grasp on atmosphere and mood usually wins out on this EP. A promising debut from a band that should be garnering more attention for itself, pop fans owe it to themselves to have a close encounter with UFO Stories....Matt Schild
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This Brit foursome stand tall with these half dozen tracks.
author: Indie-Music.com
This Brit foursome from Bristol, England offer up their second EP, UFO Stories, as a follow up to In Sequence (2004). The six songs here are not all otherworldly tales or close encounters of the third kind, but rather pop reflections that loosely relate to the theme of UFOs. Forest Giants is a collection of musicians that have been kickin' around and playing in other Bristol bands for years.
"Sunrise" is a arresting and melodic pop song that features some great guitar soloing and musical meandering. An ambient and atmospheric sound guided by a spoken word narrator marks the title track, which recounts the tale of a UFO sighting in Australia, circa 1976. You almost feel as if you are listening to a live report of this sighting on an old transistor radio, as the static and feedback of the guitars create the sense of mystery of this unknown encounter. The disc closes with a simple love song ("Late Night in the Park"). Overall, these Forest Giants stand tall with these half dozen tracks.
David McPherson - Indie-Music.com
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