Sometimes when you hear the origin story for a record you realize it was almost destined to sound the way it does. Such is the case with the debut album from Josh Fortenbery, No Such Thing As Forever. Although he’s called North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Mexico home, his current domicile is Juneau, Alaska. With no roads leading in or out, and the only access being boat or plane, you can understand how there might be an emphasis on self-examination. Having said that, with a roster of uptempo songs steeped in folk, country, and bluegrass, it stays well away from melancholic navel-gazing.
Take Honey, one of two songs inspired by Fortenbery’s grandmother. It features some sweet finger-picking as he reminisces about how she was an “orchestrator of good mischief.” The other song of the pair, Nothing, is a little slower, with organ providing a touch of gospel that further highlights the natural gruffness of Fortenbery’s vocals. Siblings looks back at a family member as well, in this case the younger sister, and wonders how, with all that mischief, things turned out fine. Heirlooms, also uptempo, manages to convey the anxiety that comes with hoping the less positive aspects of a father’s and grandfather’s personality skips this generation.
Several of the songs on the record sound so upbeat on first listen you almost miss the true emotions laid out in the lyrics. That’s definitely the case with one of my favorites on the album, Bored To Death. It’s a bluegrass tune, danceable to the point of being a festival highlight. Underneath that joyous sound, though, is an admission that being restless and chronically unsatisfied is just the top of the list of personal faults. When Fortenbery sings, “I’m looking for joy, but I get distracted” you realize he could be the poster child for an entire segment of the population who just can’t look away from the grief and pain in the world. Doom-scrolling at its source. Hopefully that piqued your curiosity, and now we can fill it with the on-line premiere of the song. Here is Bored To Death, from the upcoming album No Such Thing As Forever.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.