The Moon Is Down — Further Seems Forever

Further Seems Forever's debut, The Moon Is Down, came out on Tooth & Nail Records on March 27, 2001. It's a lean record, thirty-nine minutes (38:53). James Paul Wisner produced and engineered it at Wisner Productions in Florida between September 28 and November 1, 2000, and he played keys on it too. The band came from Pompano Beach, Florida. Chris Carrabba sang on it even though he'd already decided to leave and focus on Dashboard Confessional. That makes the album a snapshot of a lineup that ended almost as soon as the record was done. It sits on our emo shelf, early-2000s Florida emo with clean, driving guitars. It scores an 8/10.

What you're hearing

The title track opens with the guitars locked tight and Carrabba's voice already pushing at the top of its range. Christianity Today's Russ Breimeier heard the title song as a prayer to God for strength, and he praised the "slick, aggressive drumming that assaults your ears like a machine gun." Snowbirds and Townies, the song the band filmed a video for, is about missing someone. Pictures of Shorelines follows a couple pulled apart. The songs are short and they don't waste your time.

AllMusic's Rick Anderson gave it 4/5. He wrote that the record "kind of sneaks up on you," called it "cathartic, tuneful, [and] soaring," and said it was "practically inspiring." Cross Rhythms' James Stafford gave it 7/10 and called it "quite a good melodic rock album." Christianity Today gave it an honorable mention among the best Christian albums of 2001. Not everyone was won over, though. Sherwin Frias at Jesus Freak Hideout gave it 3/5 and called it "a pleasant, yet hardly engaging listen," and Ink 19's review was mixed.

How it was made

The band came up in the South Florida scene and signed to Tooth & Nail before the album. Wisner tracked it over about five weeks in late 2000. Once it was out, the band toured hard. There were shows with Thrice, Krazy Fest in July 2001 and a run with Fairweather, River City High and the Starting Line. In 2002 came dates with Brand New, a midwestern leg of the Warped Tour, Europe and Furnace Fest. By then Carrabba was gone. Guitarist Nick Dominguez left the following year to start a record label, and Jason Gleason took over vocals for How to Start a Fire.

Where the score lands

It gets an eight because the songs hold up two decades on, and the album still matters to the people who make this kind of music. Jesus Freak Hideout later ranked it No. 36 on its list of the top 100 Tooth & Nail albums. In 2019 Mayday Parade covered New Year's Project. Why not a nine? Frias had a point. The record's consistent to a fault, and some of the middle songs blur together. Why not a seven? Carrabba's vocal, Wisner's punchy production and the run from the title track through Snowbirds and Townies earn the extra point.

Watch

Snowbirds and Townies leads with its official music video. After it come the album versions of the title track and The Bradley.

Where this album sits on Loud Faith

The Moon Is Down is one of the records that linked the Christian label world to the wider emo boom of the early 2000s. Its singer went on to sell a lot of records under another name, and the band kept going with new voices. It belongs on our emo shelf, right next to the Tooth & Nail records that came after it.