I Forget Where We Were

Ben Howard I Forget Where We Were on 2LP

In the depths of winter, beside a lighthouse, on a remote peninsula in southernmost Devon, Ben Howard set down to recording his second album, I Forget Where We Were. It was a wild winter; bleak and fierce, and soon the elements began to creep into the music. Storms so fierce the whole studio shook. "The place where these songs were recorded is stamped upon them," Howard notes. "There's a lot of power in that place."

In late 2013 Howard returned from an extended tour in support of his debut - the Brit-winning, platinum-selling Every Kingdom. In the studio/barn alongside Howard were his band-mates Mickey Smith, Andrew 'Bear' Bond, Nat Wasson, India Bourne and Chris Bond - also the album's producer. 

To anyone familiar with Howard's work to date this is certainly a startling album - the rootsy, pastoral folk and romantic leanings of Every Kingdom giving way to something braver and more adventurous. The guitars lag and distort, the drums stand remote, the sweet fairness of Howard's voice has given way to something more distant and restrained. These songs are darker, more blistering than those of their predecessor, and in their squally beauty, Howard reveals himself an exceptional songwriter. 

1.  Small Things

2.  Rivers In Your Mouth

3.  I Forget Where We Were

4.  In Dreams

5.  She Treats Me Well

6.  Time Is Dancing

7.  Evergreen

8.  End Of The Affair

9.  Conrad

10. All Is Now Harmed