Phodilus and Tyto 7" - Forest City Lovers

Phodilus and Tyto 7”

Forest City Lovers
Play the Triangle Records.

SCQ Rating: 77%

Being that I was a Toronto resident for over two years and a frequent shopper at Soundscapes to boot, I’m feeling some shame for not listening to Forest City Lovers sooner. All my potential matchmakers were lined up in case I decided to bite but, likely because I’d missed all the good buzz for 2008's Haunting Moon Sinking, the Toronto-based five-piece inevitably remained on my Maybe-Later backburner. Well, I’m recognizing my shame now that I’ve been introduced to Forest City Lovers’ new 7” Phodilus and Tyto; an upbeat, addictive teaser which anticipates Forest City Lovers’ upcoming 2010 full-length.

Opening with an amorous piano arrangement, ‘Phodilus and Tyto’ presents a midnight rapture so humid and liberating that when it finally breaks open with baroque-pop strings and spritely percussion, Forest City Lovers nearly sideswipe winter entirely. Not only is ‘Phodilus and Tyto’ a no-brainer choice as lead-single for their currently untitled, Out of This Spark release, but I’m relieved this 7” is a precursor of sorts as no song this irresistible should be left off a full-length. Forest City Lovers lose none of their springtime mood and imagery on flipside track ‘If I Were a Tree’; a less extroverted composition of muted, staccato guitar and bells that allows singer Kat Burns to lay down some well-layered, increasingly urgent vocals. Between these two A-side tracks, the bonus remix of ‘If I Were a Tree’ (which maintains the magic of the original), and the fact that this green (yeah, green!) vinyl is limited to 300 copies, you’d be hard-pressed to justify staying away from this glimpse into Forest City Lovers’ budding future. Trust me… after hearing this Phodilus and Tyto 7”, I’ll finally begin searching through their past efforts. Next stop: Haunting Moon Sinking.