Straying far away from conventions, ‘Forgotten Moon’ by My Lovely Haunting will have you in a trance with its deep, meditative, introspective melodies.
Intro
Setting the tone for all the songs that are to follow on the album, ‘Intro’ feels like a descent into an unknown, wondrous land where you find yourself taking in all that’s around you slowly. The instrumentation adopts bubbling, swelling synths with soft, distant choir-like harmonies. This helps create a dreamy, yet somewhat unsettling soundscape.
Drifting
Starting off with gentle acoustic guitar notes, ‘Drifting’ quite literally feels like drifting in an open space, untethered to reality. The echoey vocals in the song offer a sense of intimacy, of closeness, like someone is singing right next to you as the night progresses into darker hours. The song echoes tones of wistfulness, of grief, of loss.
Star Gazing
Sombre piano notes opening the track, ‘Star Gazing’ will have you wrapped up in its comforting yet weighty melancholy drenched melodies. The song too has sparse instrumentation which has been beautifully arranged to make the soundscape very atmospheric and immersive. The song carries the ideas of processing pain through outward experiences, like gazing at the stars.
Lost Again
Haunting melodies and equally haunting harmonies opening the track, ‘Lost Again’ feels like staring at nothing in the dead of the night, as you sit there contemplating and reflecting and processing. The tones are dark, they are heavy, and the song thereby, is immensely emotional. The idea of a sort of acceptance of the pain is seen in the track.
Medieval Lullaby
Dreamy guitar notes that are brimming with a strong sense of sadness drives ‘Medieval Lullaby’ and will have your senses drenched in the same feeling. A significant portion of the song is instrumental, and the placement of this song on the album is such that it is allowing the listener to pause and reflect.
The Window
Evoking hopefulness and brightness after the previous dark and grey, ‘The Window’ feels like a peek through the window at your own self. Instrumentation wise the song is largely guitar driven amidst cinematic synths. The song stands as a point where in our journey of dealing with pain, we finally let go of the blaming and decide to be accepting of ourselves.
One More Day
Starting off with otherworldly sounding synths, ‘One More Day’ feels like a journey of introspection where the destination is not known. The song, in its sound, feels like walking away from all familiarity. This is contributed by the muffled, distant sounding guitars and the intensely building synths, which ground the song in its unconventional soundscape.
Carnival
Starting off with what sounds like the tunes and melodies of the natural world, ‘Carnival’ does its job as the last song on the album. The song has the vibe of tethering you and bringing you back to the real world. The song is the shortest on the album, and the choice behind that is quite interesting, like it is a short bridge from the ethereal, the unknown to the familiar, the known.
All in all, the album is a beauty in its experimental approaches and shows you what all music can sound like if you use it as a conduit for the unique way that you might process your emotions.