Cinematic & Enigmatic: Burningforestboy’s “Starscream” Album

Enigmatic. The one word I would use to describe burningforestboy. I’ve been listening to burnigforestboy for close to 4 years and I am no closer to understanding him as an artist today than when I first heard his music. Listening to burningforestboy’s music is similar to watching an offbeat indie thriller. It’s a rollercoaster ride that you aren’t quite sure is going, but you need to see through till the end.

What sets burningforestboy apart is his poetic way with words. Rather than detailing his experiences and emotions, his music is something closer to an alternate reality with loosely connected themes of isolation, depression and a yearning for deeper understanding. burningforestboy uses STARSCREAM as an echo chamber for his thoughts. His ideas reverberate and bounce off each other over dystopian sounds. I regard “Find Me” as a highlight of the album. The intensity of the production offers a different listening experience. I enjoyed the fact that it didn’t feel as aloof as his performance on the rest of the album. 

Personally, I am a fan of the stylistic approach that burningforestboy takes in his music. It’s mood music. The type of music you sit back and enjoy when you are overwhelmed from ‘feeling too much’. My only gripe with STARSCREAM is that when you do want to listen intently to the concepts he’s trying to explore or the nuances of his production, it may all start to sound similar. Too similar, even. At times I do long for burningforestboy to give me more. More emotion. More concrete ideas. More experimentation and variation in his sound. I want to experience a feeling other than aloof when listening to burnigforestboy because I feel there is more to him than what is giving us. We just need him to be open to sharing it.

RATING: 6.5/10

Lesiba

There is always a story behind the music and I want to tell it. My taste in music hovers somewhere between alternative Hip Hop and R&B from the African diaspora. Follow me everywhere @lesiba__ for commentary and reviews.

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