Forgotten Almosts/Five Feet
When the opening lyrics to a record are “My fight or flight is kicking in, and the bad news for you is I’m no good at flying,” you know you are in for something powerful. I was fortunate to catch Five Feet live as part of the 2022 Bones & Arrow Fest, hosted by Dead Archer Records. Based on the strength of that performance, I hit up Bandcamp, where I picked up their most recent release, Forgotten Almosts. Billed from Manchester N.H, Five Feet are singer/guitarist Alanah Tintle, guitarist/horn player Luis Hernandez, bassist/keyboardist/backing vocals Zack Lyons & and drummer Tyler Seiders. Their sound draws from Blues, Jazz, Mainstream Pop, Latin and then some. Released May of ‘22, recorded at Black Lodge Audio and self-described by the band, “Forgotten Almosts is a collection of songs about being haunted by everything other than ghosts.”
Forgotten Almosts is an ep of sorts, as 3 of the songs had been previously released. Although, this writer suspects these songs were meant to go together on some level. The six songs, clocking in at 19:50, are sequenced perfectly to form a complete listening experience. For friends & longtime fans, though, this should be no surprise, as Five Feet have been around for a while. Tintlel & Seiders are credited on their first Bandcamp offering (NoDiving) dating back Nov ‘18. It should also be noted that these folks are skilled as this is a well-executed project, from the recording & production right down to the artwork. These songs ring personal, connected & with a certain conviction.
“Avian Law” leads off the record with a dreamy sounding, beautifully delivered vocal from lead singer Tintle. Her voice intertwines wonderfully with Hernandez’ equally dreamy guitar tone.
The second tune is “Spirit Box.” Per Tintle, this is a song she wrote: “after having a conversation with George Barber about ghosts and whether they exist.” The dynamics of the percussion, notably the cymbals, are tastefully dropped by TylerSeiders.
Next is “California Spiderkiss,” in which bassist Lyons duets, along with Tintle. You get an earnest back and forth that brings the listener into the convoluted fray, only for the subjects to proclaim, “I’d be happier if you never kissed me.” All this is delivered on top of a hypnotizing horn riff and a guitar tone that the Edge would be proud of.
The instrumental “Splinter” serves as a segue into “You’re It.” This track finds Lyons in a vocal harmony position and equally effective. This is about as heavy as Five Feet get as the foursome rock, and I use that term loosely, some bass, drum, power chord magic. Closing the record is the sweet sounds of “Look Both Ways.” While lyrically suggestive, the song itself has the vibe of a lullaby. Hernandez’s guitar and Tintle’s voice are the perfect way to close out the record & set you adrift.
Five Feet have a pretty active social media presence and refer to their fans as pals. This struck an extremely pleasant chord with this writer as my Dad used to call us kids. Something that my siblings and I still do to this day. When scrolling their socials, among the band photos & the lyrics, one can’t help but notice that Five Feet is an extremely social and politically conscious outfit. You will find links to support causes such as the protection of basic human rights for the most vulnerable, reproductive freedom & the ongoing awareness of the LGBTQIA2S+community. Five Feet are a breath of fresh air in this day &age as they are a band of principals. Recently, they chose to cut ties with one of their favorite venues after it was discovered that said venue had employed a convicted sex offender. Fear not though, Five Feet still have plenty of places to play in the state of NewHampshire, all of New England & beyond.
Keep up with Five Feet via their website, check out some of their pals over at Dear Archer Records & see a plethora of acts, both local & national, at the Stone Church.
Ron Nizi