An album filled with what my girlfriend referred to as “lying in a field music,” Foma’s Inverness runs the gamut from orchestral harmonies to drum-and-guitar-laden jam sessions. Within seconds of pressing play, the album thrusts into the forefront one of its main draws—the use of both a cello and a viola to create a string section which compliments the band’s otherwise straightforward indie-rock sound. These instruments, played artfully by Hun Kim (on cello) and Charith Premawardhana (on viola), remain distinct and focused throughout the entirety of the album, and they blend perfectly with the other, more standard instruments utilized by Foma. This synthesis creates a balance that does wonders for the record as a whole, with the music bouncing back and forth between a mellow drone of strings and symphonic melodies to a driving rock sound. This rock sound is evoked particularly by the drums of Jeffrey Schmidt and the dual guitars of lead singer Edward M. Burch and Isaac Bonnell. The guitars go from being the centers of attention to being compliments to the mellow feel of the string section, while the drums constantly stand apart from the other instruments, becoming a driving force that pushes the album on by marching constantly and distinctly onward. The power of both the drums and guitars are attested to in the album’s two instrumental tracks, “Interlude” and “Gray’s Elegy.” In these tracks, the strings take a backseat to allow the other instruments time to shine, and they shine beautifully, dispelling any notions of the band putting all their eggs in one basket with their use of the cello and viola.

Another inescapable feature of the album is Burch’s vocal style. I found myself caught in a love-hate relationship with these vocals, as they shift from melodic to somewhat grating and seemingly whiny. The first track, “Control Panel,” and the third track, “Hannah, It’s Finished!” showcase the positive aspects of his voice, with the singing providing a perfect compliment to the instrumentation behind it. “Hannah” in particular remains for me the highpoint of Burch’s vocals on the album, and is easily my favorite piece off of Inverness. Yet tracks such as “Papillon” and “Ess-Ther’s Victory,” despite their overall superb orchestration and musical qualities, stand as testaments to Burch’s strange vocal quirks. His voice shifts from robotic to borderline-whiny in its pitch and delivery (I would draw particular attention to his strange pronunciation of the word “anymore” on “Papillon”).

One other factor that stood out to me from the first listening is the album’s overall brevity. Tracks one and two are both over before you know what to make of them, and this same sentiment could be applied to whole album as well, as it clocks in at just under twenty-five minutes. Yet this does add to the album’s replay value, and Inverness’ positive qualities far outweigh its negative ones. There really is something for everyone on this album. Instrumental jams coincide with well-orchestrated indie-rock pieces such as “Hannah” and accessible, downright poppy songs like “Papillon.” Foma have created an album that artfully blends indie and pop, as well as driving rock with symphonic melodies. The fusion is beautifully done, and I would recommend this album to anyone looking for music to lie back and think to; whether or not you do this in a field is up to you.

Take Two: by Mike Ruther

As I merge onto 75 North off of Florida’s Turnpike, I turn on my GPS device and see that I have no less than 340 miles to go on the same stretch of road. What I need now is some driving music to keep me motivated and break up the monotony. I pop in Foma’s Inverness, and, within minutes, I am startled awake by the sound of the car slipping off the road and onto the shoulder. This album is clearly not driving music.

Inverness manages to strike a delicate balance that safely treads the line between soothingly soporific and flat-out bland. Inverness takes no risks, pushes no envelopes and is otherwise lacking any identifiable heart or balls. While I generally appreciate the use of the violin on several tracks, the vocals are the same unintelligible, high-pitched falsetto that many other indie “rockers” have historically used to convince girls that they are sensitive.

The album wakes up a little bit halfway through with the song “Papillon,” but, in spite of the raised tempo, the band manages to slide back to boring as I realize that over half of the track is the same beat repeated over and over again before the vocals begin, which are themselves largely repetitive. This repetition is, in itself, unsurprising, as the track begins with some behind-the-scenes banter between band mates, in which a couple phrases, such as “blend it in,” are repeated by every member of the band. This is how they talk to each other.

On the whole, there is nothing objectively “wrong” with this music, but nothing leaps out at me as a good reason to recommend it. I suppose you could use it for those late nights when the party is over and you want to let your guests know that it is time for bed, or perhaps to quiet a fussy infant.

All told, this insubstantial fare consists of about 20 minutes of light, airy austerity. If you are part of the population that earnestly enjoys this kind of music, I strongly recommend giving Foma’s Inverness a listen. If not, at least it is short.