The Forgotten And The Brave is a great folksy album by Owls By Nature that is perfect for a chilling and relaxing; it’s just a feel-good release that is fairly accessible and easy to get into.
As tends to be the norm with folk-rock music, it’s a largely high energy piece and although the instrumentation throughout is fairly simplistic, it doesn’t need to be all showy and technical to leave an impression on you – sometimes stripping things back is the best option and it works for Owls By Nature as it makes the album very raw and honest.
The album features some great tracks, such as the energetic and memorable opener Brothers, and Oh Alberta is a particularly good inclusion with some beautifully emotional vocals atop of smooth and laid-back instrumentation. It shows that Owls By Nature are not a one-trick-pony and are capable of writing in more than one rigid style, which is very refreshing to witness.
Quite honestly, it’s difficult to find any glaring bad points about this album, but it’s also difficult to pick out a song with that ‘special something’. It’s all quite good, but the album as a whole just doesn’t have that sparkle to them – however saying that, it’s a good listen and an album that’s perfect to sit back and chill out to.
7/10
