Forest Swords
| Forest Swords | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Matthew Barnes |
| Origin | Liverpool, England, UK |
| Genres | Experimental, electronic, dub |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer, composer |
| Labels | No Pain in Pop Olde English Spelling Bee Tri Angle |
| Website | forestswords |
Matthew Barnes, known by his stage name Forest Swords, is an English music producer and artist.
Forest Swords's debut 6 track EP Dagger Paths was originally released in March 2010 before being reissued later that year with additional tracks. FACT Magazine's named it their album of the year, received an 8.4 rating on music website Pitchfork and was No. 48 on their 'Albums of the Year' list, was rated 9/10 on music website Drowned in Sound, called "one of 2010's finest underground records" by NME, and was chosen a 'Hidden Gem of 2010' in The Guardian.
Debut album Engravings was released through Tri Angle Records on 26 August 2013. The critical response has been unanimously positive, with Pitchfork giving an 8.5 Best New Music review and Resident Advisor a 4.5/5 review.Stereogum rated it at number 37 in their best albums of 2013 list,Wire Magazine at number 35, Pitchfork at number 34,Clash Magazine rated it at number 21, Dummy Magazine at number 16, and Tiny Mix Tapes at number 10.
The video for "Thor's Stone" was directed by Dave Ma and was online in September 2013, featuring Spanish dancer Guzman Rosado.
A video for "The Weight Of Gold" directed by French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied was posted online in February 2014, featuring dancer Billy Barry.
A remix of Engravings lead track "Thor's Stone" by dub artist Lee Scratch Perry was posted online in November 2013.
The second Forest Swords album, Compassion, was released on 5th May 2017, with a video and streaming single release of lead track 'Arms Out' and a set of worldwide festival and headline tour dates. Previously the track "The Highest Flood" was released as a standalone digital single.
Resident Advisor gave the album a 4.5/5 review, calling it "both sincere and sublime". Fake DIY called it "heart-stopping and thoroughly arresting" in a 4/5 review. DJ Mag gave it 4/5 and called it "a stunning vision, hypnotic". In an 8.5/10 review The 405 website calls it "a brilliant album – well worth the four year wait". Q Magazine gave it a strong 4/5 review, and said it “unfolds like a journey through a bustling soundscape of found sounds, instrumental loops and post-dubstep production". The Loud & Quiet review stated the album is "arresting in its austerity" in a 8/10 review. Pitchfork rated the album at 7.8; "more ambitious and varied while retaining the uncanniness he’s known for". PopMatters gave it a score of 8, saying "A dazzling, evocative album that acts as the perfect soundtrack to the precarious times we live in". AV Club called it "passionately realized" in an A- review. Clash gave it an 8 out of 10 review, describing it as "wordless protest music that impresses with its sheer thematic ambition". Exclaim awarded it 8/10, saying "the goosebumps will cover most of your body".Sputnikmusic gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 'superb' rating, describing it as 'nothing short of breathtaking'. Gigsoup praised Compassion's 'beautiful strings and rolling percussion' in an 86% review. In an 8 out of 10 review Soundblab claimed Barnes has 'developed a whole new language/style that other electronic musicians should be eager to take note of'. The Age rated Compassion 4.5 out of 5, calling it 'triumphant'. It was album of the week on BBC 6Music and Bleep.
...
Wikipedia