AOTY #16: Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were

British indie folk rocker Ben Howard's 2011 debut album Every Kingdom took both his home country and the U.S. by storm. His bright acoustic guitar evoked the feelings of springtime and earned a nomination for the 2012 Mercury Prize

Just over three years later, upbeat crowd-pleasers like "Only Love" and "Keep Your Head Up" have been traded out for a darker, introspective sound more suitable for the winter on I Forget Where We Were.

The very first taste of the album is a punch in the face. Using the delayed guitar sound heard throughout the album, Howard plucks a few simple, but deliberate chords as he starts to muse about losing his mind on "Small Things":

Has the world gone mad or is it me?
All these small things they gather round me gather round me
Is it all so very bad? I can't see...It shows a man who's overwhelmed with all of the little things in life as they start to pile up and he loses sight of what's important, fitting for someone who considers his album a "glimpse of madness." The highlight, however, is Howard's signature fingerpicking over the final two minutes of the song as he belts out the extended chorus.

This reverberating guitar heaven is continued on "Rivers In Your Mouth", where a short but addicting riff is sandwiched between each stanza. The entire album is filled with these beautiful little easter eggs, showing an impressive ability to turn a chord or two into a defining moment for the song

Never is this more apparent than the nearly eight minute opus of "End of the Affair" - possibly his best song to date. If you haven't heard it yet (or even if you have), I suggest you take a moment to give the full song a listen

It starts with the soft contemplation of an ex-lover who is already over their past relationship and "running 'round in love again" with some other guy. The song then drifts into a goosebumps-causing minute of intermittent guitar reverb before its climax - an emotional yell that sums up his confusion and frustration. Earlier songs in the album seem to preach holding things in and doing rather than saying, but in "End of the Affair" we hear the result of this buildup of unsaid thoughts:

This is it?
Well this is desert
And what of him?
What the hell loveNot every part of his sophomore album is this breathtaking, and not every song consistently delivers, but I find myself hanging on the edge of my seat for more delicious guitar riffs and soothing vocals. Sometimes, even, forgetting where I was

- Brock Chenier, aka B-Rock Genius aka don't call me Brockoli

Come back tomorrow for album #15 and follow along with the list here!