Future Temples By Forrest Smithson

 

Future Temples

By

Forrest Smithson

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Back in the hazy days of 2015 I heard one of the most accomplished albums in the electronic ambient field from Forrest Smithson that I thought he would never be able to better, it was called Ooti, this album has lived on my personal playlists of choice for years, I still love it as much today as I did back then, but now Smithson has finally done it, he has created the seminal musical album that in my view has even surpassed that previously aforementioned release, and this marvellous collection of great arrangements is called Future Temples.

As I write I am now on my second consecutive listen, it is a splendid experience; it’s glorious in its own constructed narrative, and tracks like the transcendent opener and the title track Future Temples leads the way with its grounding synths and swirling descriptive tones, this is stunning stuff and at times feels like we are flowing upwards from the bass charka towards the crown.

The next opus of grandeur starts with some pertinent natural bird sounds, keeping us in the realm of reality and nature, whilst the keyboards of Smithson manifest an electronic rhythm that is undeniable and called The Earliest Moments, this leads us beautifully into one if the prettiest pieces off the release called Reflections, the hovering synths manifest a still scenic vista that we can float within, whilst the progression of the keyboards gift us a sense of slow movement perhaps towards the temple itself, pleas note the delightful convergence of the water sounds and the music, this is so wonderfully textured.

This 7 track creation is sublime with each track played, the whole package is blissful in its creation and lush in its colours and moods, even the long form narrative is catered for in pieces like Vanishing Territories. A true voyage can be taken through this magnificent opus of mysterious delight, changing course and tempo, changing scenes and landscapes, and containing a virtual tour of natural sounds and tones.

The track Saudade gifts the enquiring listener a sense of ambience to dwell within for well over nine minutes, and through the tonal enchantment one can literally find a meditative sanctuary to reflect in, this piece is one of the most beautiful ambient tracks I have heard for many years, a light bird sound can be heard, and one that sounds like a Blackbird or Thrush, this just adds to the sense of longing and mournful construction of the composition.

The penultimate piece Time Prints, has a light Berlin school motif to its arrangement, but holds its calmness and musical posture well in check, and thus carries a sense of tranquillity with the creation as it goes, and in fact right up to the eventual storm at the latter half of the track.

We alas have to conclude our journey this simply incredible voyage of creative and aware electronic ambient music, with the last composition from the album called Nostalgia. We all from time to time long for moments we enjoyed in the past to return to us in the present or at least in the future, this rarely happens, and when it does it is different, beautiful, but different, here Smithson craft-fully explores those emotions and longings, and in doing so manifests one of the most meditative and fascinating endings to an album I think I have heard for decades.

Future Temples by Forrest Smithson is one of those albums that you might wait your whole life to hear, but when that chance comes, you love every second of what it brings to your musical table. As an electronic musician myself, I would love one day to create something as good as this, it has a sweet tone, an enticing vibrational flow, a narrative that is both palpable and attractive, the performance is one of the best I have heard in this genre, and the artistry and compositional structures are unbelievably astounding, I therefore urge you to get Future Temples by Forrest Smithson it is a musical experience you will never want to end.