The friendship of Carlos Forster (for Stars) and M. Ward (She & Him, Monsters of Folk) goes all the way back to college, when the two West Coasters were students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo bonding over their mutual reverence for the Beach Boys. Since then both have been busy establishing careers within and outside of the music field, with Forster establishing a private psychotherapy practice in San Francisco after for Stars disbanded. However that shared passion for folk and rock music became a regular point of connection in 2003, with the two meeting up annually since then to listen to and record Forster’s works in progress. Family Trees is the result of that long-time collaboration, spanning Forster’s early breezy folk songs to more serious, contemplative works of late, with diverse influences from Freud to Brian Wilson. The years of sporadic efforts have paid off nicely: Family Trees is a rich, accomplished album that is sure to charm M. Ward and indie folk audiences alike. – Written by SMarx
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