Some say rock is dead, others say it’s a forgotten fad – we say those people just aren’t listening loud enough.
If you bypass the monotonous and mundane junk most Spotify playlists claim to be “top rock,” you’ll eventually stumble upon a band like Portland-based groovesters Forty Feet Tall.
Formed in 2011 by a bunch of savvy teenagers from Los Angeles, the now-decade-old group are ready to showcase their refreshing brand of 2000′s-era Incubus, Queens Of The Stone Age and Cage The Elephant.
Getting ready to drop their new album A Good Distraction later this week via Magnetic Moon Records, today Forty Feet Tall is teaming up with The Noise to stream their impressive 12-track effort in full.
Commenting on how the gripping new record came together and what it represents lyrically, members Cole Gann, Brett Marquette, Ian Kelley, and Jack Sehres told The Noise, “All of these songs were written before the pandemic, but many of them already had a strong political bent and hopefully speak to all the bullshit that we’re going through now. There are definitely love songs in here, but the overall theme for this album, or what it came to be, was some sort of semblance of a welcomed distraction in the midst of chaos.”
“In the end though, they added, “no matter how tempting it is to turn a blind eye, we have to confront these ills - the racism, sexism, xenophobia, classism and outright fascism we see in this country and throughout the world. We try and walk a line making our music a blast to listen to, get you to a place where you can let loose, but simultaneously challenging the listener to survey and contemplate the state our world is currently in.”
As for the record instrumentally, the quartet notes, “Musically, it feels easy to just say it’s just rock, but you can hear all the different influences, whether it’s punk, grunge, psych or jazz. We all have different likes and dislikes, but we come together on musical preferences where it counts and each one of us brings an element to the writing table. This album really showcases that – a dynamic of cooperation where all of us are sprinkling in our different spices into the witch’s cauldron. We’ve just been able to expand on that since Ian joined the band.”
Giving credit to bands such as Parquet Courts, King Gizzard, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Thee Oh Sees (as well as early Elvis Costello records) as influences for A Good Distraction, Forty Feet Tall also acknowledge their desire to get experimental.
“We really enjoyed getting into some creations of soundscapes as well, making noises that weren’t just coming from a guitar, bass or drum-kit,” they said. “We worked with the amazing David Pollock and he was so helpful and instrumental in making these ideas come to life. All in all, though this album took a while to finally release, we [are] damn proud of it and can’t wait to see what comes next.”
For your first taste of Forty Feet Tall’s riveting new record A Good Distraction – which, in fact, does serve as a solid diversion from everyday life – be sure to look below. For more from the band, head here.
