Reviews

Debut albums that are being pushed to the level that Foreverinmotion’s is says a lot about the confidence the label has in such a new artist.  This may not be Brendan Thomas’ first album, but it’s his debut on his new label, One Eleven. 
 
The record begins with deep sound effects, piano and vocals.  It accurately showcases the direction the album takes the listener, with its honesty and harmonious melodies that could send most other artists back to the drawing board.  This album truly is a unique acoustical stab at a genre that’s overpopulated as it is.  Brendan pulls it off with a sense of power, grace, and emotion that I’ve never heard before.  The incredibly relaxing songs on this album will keep me listening.
 
The Beautiful Unknown is entirely self-produced and recorded by Brendan Thomas himself.  He must be proud of this fact since very few artists receive this kind of trust from a label.  A producer can bring many things to the table but, most specifically, he is another opinion to bounce ideas off of.  Having a producer on this album would have been extremely beneficial. 
 
Taken from his biography, the album features “more instruments than you could count on all ten fingers.”  While this is an impressive feat, it makes these songs way too complicated to understand.  There are too many effects and sounds that distract the listener from the core melody of each song, which seems to be contradictory to what an “honest” album would represent to me.  If Brendan eliminated most of these effects, he could have earned another star. 
 
Another dilemma I have with this album is the lack of memorable melodies.  While all the melodies are incredibly beautiful, they are difficult to hold onto and leave no lasting impression on the listener’s mind.  One song that does however keep me listening is “Avalanche.”  This song is a play on the hurricane in New Orleans and his honesty really shines through.  He does not overcomplicate this song too much, though I wish he had left some of the violins out. 
 
A good debut for One Eleven, however it comes up short on a few measures.  It will be difficult to recreate these songs - as they are recorded - in a live setting and I would enjoy listening to the barebones tracks of these tunes more.  Nonetheless, a decent release by Brendan Thomas.  I wouldn’t rush out and buy it, but I can see this album being very useful for certain occasions, in which case I’m glad I now own it.