It's good to know that there are still people aware of the impending danger that technology and it's ravaging progression present. Future of Forestry's name, which references a poem by C.S. Lewis about the effect of an imbalance between industrialization and nature, actually represents a much more humanistic interpretation of the matter at hand. As frontman Eric Owyoung puts it, “it's not about saving the trees but about saving our lives from being taken over by technology. It's about asking if we are still able to see beauty.” Texting and everybody's favorite place to make thousands of “friends”, MySpace, could be singled out as hijackers of meaningful communication, but the problem is rooted much deeper.

'Twilight,' the band's first full-length was recorded by acclaimed producer Ken Andrews (A Perfect Circle, Failure, Mae), who admitted the band after hearing the demos. The band took care of many ambient sounds outside of the studio, which apparently included washing machines, pots and pans and an ironing board.

It somewhat disappoints me that those household items are not more noticeable in their context. In fact, had I heard that fun-fact before the album, I would have expected more experimentation. But perhaps experimentation without sounding substantially experimental is something more bands should retreat to. Expectations aside, this is a pretty decent album. Musically, Future of Forestry fall somewhere between Switchfoot and Dredg, accessorizing the pop-rock base of said bands with oodles of ambiance, dimension and layer. Instrumental interludes and breaks, glorious crescendos, and sky-rocketing vocal melodies are all present here. The most notable tracks like 'Open Wide,' 'All I Want,' 'You And I,' and 'Gazing' are some of the more upbeat ones on the CD, which would feel welcome on modern rock radio if Nickleback had never existed. Some of the lighter tracks on the album like 'Twilight' and 'Speak To Me Gently' don't sound bad altogether, but they lack the momentum that the other songs benefit so much from. Typically it's the slow ones that really get me.

As if their concern for the human experience wasn't ambitious enough, the band shoots even higher in terms of connection. Focused on something even bigger than you and me as a reason to attend the aforementioned imbalance, the entire album is an incredibly uplifting listen that will leave you feeling good about being human again. Perhaps even a little hugged. But don't let this manufactured product of technology become the pinnacle of your human experience.