English musician Pete Barnes released two introspective albums with his instrumental project Thistle Sifter, as he was trying to deal with the after effects of a nasty bike accident, but on Forever The Optimist he comes out of shell, only to find out that the outside world has become a dangerous place, where rampant capitalism is depleting all the natural resources. People don't seem to realise that agriculture as one of the main culprits (Ghost Acres). He has been reading a lot and the works of Jay Griffiths, George Monbiot, Omar El Akkad and Siddharth Kara found their way into his compositions, not so much with the actual words, but more like mood boards that were translated into music.
He has a knack for creating soundscapes that are wrapped in neo-classical textures, some of them quite abstract (Weightless), but also going into Depeche Mode meets Mogwai (One Fleeting Glance). The softly tinkling Endling is covered in hiss, from which the choice synth notes can escape to a supposedly better place. Barnes has plenty of reason to be seriously worried, but all is not lost as he wraps up his statement with the soft-spoken title track. It would help if people stopped being so greedy and stupid though. Only then the Anthropocene can become an era that does not end in destruction.
