Forest Mother

Forest Mother is a spooky and enigmatic track from the AI-human hybrid, SIRENGLAS. It feels slightly disconcerting to have a track created partially by AI being called Forest Mother, almost as if AI is staking their claim to Mother Nature. The Forest Mother of the title is described in this dark wave, synth pop tone. Instead of describing exactly what she looks like, the lyrics explore where she is. By covering where she dwells above her physical appearance, it allows the listener to fill in the gaps, creating with their imagination the character of the Forest Mother. It paints this beautiful soundscape and creates this ineffable figure who exists in it.

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The track’s most notable trait are these deep layers of synths that mold and flow over one another. There is this stabbing, pulsing synth that pushes through the start of the track as well as an ethereal one that flows above the top of the track’s melodic structure. While the pulsing synth controls the rhythm of the track, the ethereal synth explores the high end of the track’s melodic texture. Together, it feels like these two aspects convey the duality of the Forest Mother and of nature more broadly. The beauty and the terror of nature are symbolised by these two distinct instrumental elements. Instead of their vastly different soundscapes contradicting one another, they help to establish a tone wholly unique to this track. I was really impressed by the restraint of the vocals. The vocalist keeps a stage of emotion held back at certain points throughout the track to heighten uncertainty. It forces the listener to pick out emotion from the changes in the track’s sonic tapestry as well as the subtle changes in tone from the vocal. It feels like it captures this strange mix of AI and nature at the core of this track’s identity. This track gets comfortable in these uneasy moments. It’s a unique tone that it nails. I’m impressed by its commitment to the vision.