Forest City Lovers

Possessing one of Toronto’s most gifted indie folk voices, Kat Burns assembles the best version of Forest City Lovers yet for Haunting Moon Sinking, a beautiful, multi-layered achievement that’s been a long time coming. Burns’s delicate, sad folk is always captivating but her songs have never sprung forward with such immediate vibrancy. You can almost mark the shift in the gorgeous "Sullen Seas,” where that familiar voice appears clearly, ushering in a cool groove that prompts the song into an uplifting clip, bolstered by tasteful strings and thoughtful drumming. A new FCL greet listeners from this point forward, as insistent orchestras pop up on "Country Road” and the cool, Cure-like "Pirates (can’t all sail the Indian Ocean).” There are literal hints to Burns’s past, such as the refined re-recording of "Waiting by the Fence” but also bold new vocal experiments like "At the Border” and the playful pop of "Orphans.” Haunting Moon Sinking is that rare combination of intriguing lyricism and complementary arrangements, serving as the definitive work by Kat Burns and Forest City Lovers.