Forest SwordsBest Forest Swords Albums Ranked

Bolted

thelineofbestfit

9.0

“Forest Swords’ Bolted worships at the altar of industry with invigorating impact”

Engravings

pitchfork

8.5

“On Forest Swords’ 2010 EP Dagger Paths, the web of dub, psych, dance, and drone spun by UK producer Matthew Barnes felt instantly singular. Engravings is the perfect sequel, cementing his knack for creating complex effects with elementary methods. Every song here is boldly sensual, and each note has a distinct emotional hue.”

Compassion

fantano

8.0

“On his sophomore album Compassion, Forest Swords' unique style of dramatic, meditative, and primal ambient dub offers some much needed respite from the trend-chasing nature of modern electronic music.”

Compassion

loudandquiet

8.0

“Like most of us, Matthew Barnes aka Forest Swords is unsettled by these fractured times. And while ‘Compassion’ isn’t an ode to the fissures and fallout of Brexit, Trump and the chaos in the Middle East, it captures the uncertainty and insecurity perfectly, manifesting itself as an incongruent collection of tracks that seep deep. From the long electronic exhale of ‘War It’ to the more pointed ‘Pan”

Dagger Paths (Extended Version) [Remastered]

pitchfork

7.9

“The dark and atmospheric album from this difficult-to-classify UK-based project has been augmented with a terrific single and a bonus disc.”

Compassion

pitchfork

7.8

“The second full-length from UK electronic artist Forest Swords focuses more acutely on the music’s organic elements. It retains the uncanny qualities he’s known for, but with dashes of hope.”