Foreword

Hopeful, Anxious, and Alone: these are three words that describe the figure that makes up Foreword. In his 2008 debut release Is this a dream?, singer/songwriter Matthew Nelson often paints an abstract picture describing his utopia. Orchestrating soundscapes, he conducts moments reminiscent of early Radiohead and The Beatles later songs but is not beyond expressing a more intimate concern for the future in a style often compared to artists in the likes of Jeff Buckley and Damien Rice.

In the eyes of the author, the works of Foreword are a collection of diary entries that map the path to happiness setting up an autobiography only to be complete when his time as a physical being expires. He views the writing process as “a way to explain myself [to me and others], who I am, and why I should be missed.” He continues by stating, “I feel that the only way to have served your purpose in life is to share yourself with others. I am not there yet though…at this point I am strictly improving who I am, trying to mold me into who I really want to be before offering myself to someone else.”

This type of dialogue is heard in many Foreword songs. In Stories of Old we can hear acoustic guitars and a gentle beat framing an apology: “I’m sorry that I sold you the stories of old, it’s me who’s been writing it all,” expressing the inability to commit due to his unrefined sense of self. A trace of skepticism becomes present when criticizing human behavior in Send Rescue and I’m Happy Now. Backed by progressive electronic beats, these songs shun the expectations of society expressing the desire to continue on the path to personal bliss. Vitruvian Man and Mold the Born question the purpose of individual hope and seemingly submit to the fact that we are a small part in the equation of a predetermined fate. While other songs touch on many similar issues of longing and apprehension, the album ends with a cynical dream that is titled Thanks for Checking Out. The atmosphere sounds like a clock-tower underwater prompting the author to say goodbye in a tone that is somewhat critical of the human race. The line, “check out the nature, again there’s nothing here” leaves the listener questioning our affect on the present and the future, anticipating the next release from Foreword.