Caroline Rose – The Art of Forgetting (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Caroline Rose – The Art of Forgetting (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 51:32 minutes | 563 MB | Genre: Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Female Vocal
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © New West Records, LLC

Early in their career, Caroline Rose favored an acoustic-driven sound hewing toward a more folk and Americana direction. But even then, the Long Island-raised songwriter resisted pigeonholing: The bruising “At Midnight,” from 2014’s I Will Not Be Afraid, cut closer to the scraping blues-rock favored by PJ Harvey or The Kills. When Rose embraced minimalist disco and dreamy electro on 2020’s Superstar, the pivot felt completely logical—just another facet of themselves they’re peeling away and exploring.

Rose’s stunning fifth studio album, The Art of Forgetting, arrives as they’ve settled into a groove that’s even more ambitious and impossible to define. The release brims with spectral music where acoustic instruments are a foundation for surging strings, layered vocal arrangements, ornate piano and ethereal synths. “The Doldrums” resembles Kate Bush circa The Dreaming, while standout “The Kiss” is dark, intense synth-pop and “Stockholm Syndrome” is lo-fi folk filtered through what sounds like music from an antique gramophone. At times, these elements are often distorted or manipulated, creating a disorienting atmosphere—as on “Rebirth,” where Rose’s vocals are impacted by light digital retouching and moments of splintered synths.

The Art of Forgetting arose during a time when Rose was weathering a breakup and delving back into themes revolving around family, childhood and memory. “I was writing songs the way that I used to when I was a kid,” Rose said in the bio along with the album. “It was more like therapy, just sitting down on my bed and writing about what I was feeling. It sounds so simple but I had really gotten away from that.” Understandably, a pervasive sense of melancholy and an awareness of life’s fragility permeates The Art of Forgetting. For example, doting voicemails from their grandmother are sprinkled throughout the album, including serving as the foundation for the piano-driven “Better Than Gold,” which wavers and shakes like a degrading cassette tape.

But in between flashes of grief and loss, Rose is also figuring out how to move forward. “You’ve got to get through this life somehow!” they sing on “Miami,” while on “Kiss,” the line “I would do most anything for the kiss of someone new” is repeated as the song grows in intensity, underscoring the desire and urgency behind the wish. And even when Rose leans into more traditional pop arrangements, as on the dynamic “Everywhere I Go I Bring the Rain,” the song defies expectations and grasps for something better. Rose switches between their high and low vocal range, and places an echoing bridge at a flashpoint in the song, setting up an ending that explodes like a burst of confetti and celebrates imperfection. – Annie Zaleski

Tracklist:
1-01. Caroline Rose – Love / Lover / Friend (04:01)
1-02. Caroline Rose – Rebirth (03:24)
1-03. Caroline Rose – Miami (04:44)
1-04. Caroline Rose – Better Than Gold (00:54)
1-05. Caroline Rose – Everywhere I Go I Bring the Rain (05:04)
1-06. Caroline Rose – The Doldrums (03:40)
1-07. Caroline Rose – The Kiss (06:10)
1-08. Caroline Rose – Cornbread (00:45)
1-09. Caroline Rose – Stockholm Syndrome (01:45)
1-10. Caroline Rose – Tell Me What You Want (04:02)
1-11. Caroline Rose – Florida Room (00:26)
1-12. Caroline Rose – Love Song For Myself (03:59)
1-13. Caroline Rose – Jill Says (05:47)
1-14. Caroline Rose – Where Do I Go From Here? (06:46)

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