In the lush, damp topography of the Pacific Northwest, sound often mimics the landscape; loam-heavy, mist-shrouded, and perpetually cycling through states of decay and rebirth. With their latest offering, ‘Every Stone Is Green,’ Mt. Fog transcends mere regional atmospheric influence to deliver a profound Gothic narrative that seeks the core of human-ness within the wild. This is not the industrial Gothic of the city, but rather a Brontë-esque exploration of the interior moors, where the boundary between the pulse of the earth and the pulse of the heart becomes beautifully indistinct.
The architecture of the album is a testament to the synergy between Carolyn B., Andy Sells, and Casey Rosebridge. Carolyn B. serves as the primary architect, her voice acting as both the haunting specter and the grounding force throughout. On the opening invitation, “Be Here,” she establishes a sonic palette where synthesizers shimmer like light hitting wet moss. The transition into “Look Inside” suggests a psychological excavation, a theme that permeates the entire work. Here, the percussion of Andy Sells provides more than just a rhythm; it acts as the skeletal structure upon which Carolyn’s violin and synthesizers hang like velvet tapestries.
As the record unfolds, “Life as a Window” offers a transparent view into the project’s vulnerability. The production, handled by the trio and polished through additional mixing by Sells and Rosebridge, manages to feel both cavernous and intimate. In “The Sky Surrounds Us All the Time,” the listener is reminded of the inescapable vastness of nature, a motif that pivots toward the radical acceptance found in the charmingly sincere “I Like You Any Way You Are.” This sequence highlights the band’s ability to balance avant-pop whimsy with a deep, melancholic undercurrent.
The mid-section of the album deepens the lore. “Closer” pulls the listener into a tighter embrace before the collaborative spirit of the band takes center stage. On “Trees in Conversation,” a piece written by Sells, the instruments seem to mimic the creaking and swaying of a forest at night. This organic dialogue continues into “Eyes in Buildings,” where the urban and the natural clash in a fever dream of bass-driven tension provided by Rosebridge.
One of the record’s most striking moments arrives with “Imperfect Machine,” a composition penned by Rosebridge. It serves as a stark, mechanical contrast to the surrounding flora, a reminder of the artifice we build around our wilder selves. Yet the album soon returns to its verdant roots. “A Single Green Strand Emerges” signals the inevitable victory of the earth, leading directly into the self-actualizing anthem “I Am Green.” In these moments, the Gothic tale reaches its climax, suggesting that to find happiness is to acknowledge our own entanglement with the biological world.
The final tracks, “More” and the enigmatic “Grimelda’s Cave,” leave the listener in a state of quiet awe. Recorded between the professional sheen of Vertigo Studios and the experimental freedom of the Rhythm Station, the album possesses a unique sonic thumbprint that is simultaneously polished and raw. Mt. Fog has crafted more than just a collection of songs; they have grown an ecosystem. ‘Every Stone Is Green’ studies the light that exists within the shadows, proving that the most authentic human experiences are often found when we finally allow ourselves to be reclaimed by the forest.
Find out more by visiting: Bandcamp | Mt Fog | Link Tree.
