Royal Forest - Civilwarland

"Civilwarland" beings with a dingy, held down synth backed by a basic 4/4 drum beat. Needless to say, I starting to become a tad inattentive.

Then, there's a sudden break.

The synth and drums drop out, and the guitarist makes his debut; he plucks a welcoming riff, an almost direct contrast to the abrasive synth. The vocalist falls next in line "All our life / the butter knife / will melt inside / this house". The bass drum starts pounding, my foot begins to tap along; who knew, there was a gem hidden in this track.

There are many sporadic moments, drawing comparisons to Modest Mouse and Cymbals Eat Guitars. At one point, the song even goes blank. The singer softly sings away from the mic, his voice peeling away at your anticipation for a climax. It's all too predictable, as we're answered with an admirable conclusion that's entirely satisfying.

Although nowhere near perfect, Royal Forest have made a great debut of an album. You can download the entire album for free here, or you can stream the tracks above.