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The moment you entered into this world
a long season altered
W/first born cries
magnificent as lightning strikes
Thunder, forewarning,
your presence
here at last-A STORM!
to quench these valleys long held
in bewildered drought
YOUR ESSENCE: a succession
of rain curtains
D
E
S
C
E
N
D
I
N
G,
transforming
-a new circle of life
spinning-
we live in worlds within worlds
My journey:
renewed with direction,
flowing with urgency,
like newly formed alluvial flows
that run wild before joining the water currents
of every river born in the mountains
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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Behold! I exclaim
but your eyes,
though they hold infinite hunger,
are still far from mastering perception
Nevertheless, these hands point with great enthusiasm
the essence of our species’ survival-
each tenet quietly held within every layer
of these mountain ranges
and woods
since time immemorial
One day, it is my hope,
your perception finely sharpens,
as some of the most brittle rocks I’ve ever climbed
and cut my skin with,
and masters
at last
this understanding
of our essence:
Nourishing our deep consciousness
and connecting with nature
strengthens us immeasurably,
transforms our entire being
to achieve a more accurate true self,
the way everything throughout the forest
changes color with the rainfall
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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Traversing these down trodden paths,
occasionally, while I hold your hand,
I point to every intricacy held
within these woods we explore
You don’t yet know this but
years from now your heart and spirit
challenged, and full of strife,
will long for answers
Such phases
are often a rite of passage
though they seldom feel as such
Traversing these down trodden paths,
occasionally, while I hold your hand,
you, also, begin to point out
every intricacy held within these woods
You don’t yet know this but
as I hold your hand and guide you
to look past first impressions-
and deep into Nature’s intricacies instead-
I leave with you this imprint:
To look beyond the challenge
effortlessly, as second nature,
remove the veil and see beyond the strife-
for these are nature’s first impressions too
Someday
enough time will have passed eventually,
and no longer will I ever be able to
hold your hand again, to:
point out intricacies,
or meanings within meanings
nevertheless,
remember-all the places that we have roamed and wandered
remember I have tried my best to teach you
to navigate through these and so much more
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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It is always coldest, darkest
just before Sunrise
I’ve witnessed my share of these moments:
so cold, so dry
while walking for miles in the dark
through unforgiving topography
Your lips begin breaking
Your hands and feet become numb
Your body won’t stop shivering
THEN:
Alpine glow begins to envelop you,
your surroundings begin to thaw
and through the early morning forest mist
you turn back,
look at the journey traveled,
and earn this realization:
While conviction is often forged stronger
traversing the most difficult surroundings
its essence always springs
from what’s already sowed inside yourself
Remember this well
each time, you too, traverse
through unforgiving topography
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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These hands will find themselves in decay,
eventually;
these set of legs will find it impossible
to keep up with you, someday
But even with worn out gaze
I’ve no doubt
I will continue to marvel at you in awe,
no differently than I did
the day you came into this world
By then, when you’re older
I hope to have spent all my warmth and love
on you
My reflection in the mirror, surely,
no different than fading embers on an open fire-
but my mind
OH, MY MIND,
ever deeply engulfed
in long held memories,
will hold a heart full of gratitude,
for each and every single one I created with you
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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6. |
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There are the things that nurture my spirit
day in and day out-
The warmth of your smile,
The joy in your laughter
Sharing the sound of water streams around us with you,
Seeing you learn to traverse nature
as every ray of light
in between the reeds and the trees
engulf these memories with shimmering light
Countless other moments,
stepped too deep in subtlety-
I collect these, like small rocks found at the edge of riverbeds
One day, these the moments will show how
each one coalesces with one another,
creating
pattern after pattern,
emerging,
revealing images of a bond
between father and daughter,
resplendent in warmth and mystery
like rays of light, beaming,
between the reeds and the trees
during Summertime
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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7. |
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Watching you roam through the wilderness
you search and reach for stones
until none fit within your grasp any longer
The sound of water stream beckons
incessantly for your return
as if your enthusiasm,
your energy, excitement
of being out in nature,
feeds the very momentum
by which water flows from mountain sides
and back to the ocean
Fists full of stones, you approach the river bed
you fill up your pockets
and free up your hands except for one rock
The shape of it triggers your instinct-
you don’t understand this,
this is histories within you and
shaped by Millenia, afterall
You can only feel these histories
as adrenaline consumes your body-
your arm extends, your grip tightens,
your aim sharpens and the rock is launched
For a brief moment
the water’s flow becomes disrupted
ripples expand across the river’s bed
everything seems to change in that moment-
the call of the birds
the wind’s direction
the warmth of the sun
the rustle of leaves
even the clouds seem to change shapes-
This is the power bestowed upon you
It has taken Millenia to reach you
and it is strongest and most far reaching
when you wield it with compassion and empathy
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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Often times, I ask myself if humanity builds trails
because they reminds us of life itself-
so many turns,
choices that don’t often reveal
their end destination,
forks that often we take a chance on
having no idea what lies along the way
or if they’ll lead to our desired destination
Often times you yourself will wonder
at different stages of your life-
if you are on the right path,
if you should have turned left instead of right
if maybe you missed a turn along the way
But just as shapes shift and change under the Supermoon
so do these if’s become subjective as well
and gratitude for the ability to travel,
change and explore paths,
is the true compass that keeps us
from reaching dead-ends in our lives
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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Just as the wind runs wilder
along the river’s current,
so do our emotions,
creating unexpected turns
we often times
are not prepared to navigate
However
never forget
you ARE like the wind:
able
to go places
not even a river
can go
May you always go
where your love is acknowledged,
valued,
met with gratefulness,
held in kind
and nurtured
by others
and most of all, by yourself
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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There may be days well into the future
you may find yourself outside in nature
perched high on up somewhere
from a great height
Miles and miles of puzzling topography
suddenly,
and simultaneously,
unveiled of all mystery
and grown more complex to interpret
As you peer out in each direction
you realize-
what is known above
isn’t always known below-
and as the sun sets across
wide open fields, I hope
these views also reveal to you that:
The world carries on and continues living,
it moves forward like clouds traveling
from one plane to another,
and so should you,
and what you’re looking at
from a great height,
you are looking with eyes sculpted
by your mother and I,
as is the heart that pumps your blood,
the skin that holds your sinew,
the tears you sometimes shed,
the laughter you release-
every feature that defines you
is a mirror of our love for you
In the way the universe created
everything you see upon great heights,
so did your mother and I
create you
So while our bodies may perish eventually
we will nevertheless, carry on in you and through you-
may those views from great on high
always remind you of THIS
© & ℗ Words copyrighted and published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™. Written by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock.
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Supermoon Moonlight Part Two is the latest album from the much cherished electronic producer Forest Robots (Fran Dominguez).
Fran's debut with Subexotic is a collection of ten electro-acoustic tracks coated in widescreen, shimmering, melodic brush strokes and nostalgic tone poems. The album is an exploration on the complexities of parenthood and the kind of spiritual and emotional legacy a father would wish to leave for his children.
Supermoon Moonlight Part Two is a departure from Fran's previous neoclassical and ambient infused releases of the last two years. It also has a long gestating history. Recording originally began in late 2019 but the initial stress of the pandemic in 2020 stopped the completion of the album. It wasn’t until the release of other work that served as a direct outlet for the struggles of the pandemic, that he was able to complete the album. In the meantime, Supermoon Moonlight itself evolved in mood and themes and is now an amalgamation of pre pandemic idealism and thru pandemic infused anxiety. It represents a unique tonality from both stages of the world.
Throughout each of the album’s ten tracks, there are shades of Ulrich Schnauss and Four Tet in tracks like ‘Every Ray Of Light Between The Reeds and The Leaves’ and ‘Somewhere In The Early Morning Forest Mist’. In other places, tracks like ‘And The Clouds Then Turned Into Castles’ and ‘In All The Places We Roam And Wander’ bear a passing resemblance to Boards of Canada’s ‘The Campfire Headphase’ sound. ‘Of Embers Warmth The Long Forgotten Memories’ is a distant cousin to the more meditative sounds of Aphex Twin’s “SAW II'.
The album also has nods to Brian Eno and New Order on tracks like ‘As The Sun Sets Across Wide Open Fields’ and ‘Everything Changes Shape Under The Supermoon’ respectively. Then there is the one-two burst of aural technicolor in opener ‘All The Rivers Born In The Mountains’ and follow up ‘Everything Changes Color With The Rainfall’ that defy genre classification altogether. The berth of sound in this collection is ambitious and executed with confident aplomb.
The CD edition of the album includes ten works of prose that compliment and give the listener a deeper insight into the themes of each track as well as a visual snapshot of Fran’s outdoor adventures with his daughter. Forest Robots originally began as a personal love letter to Fran’s daughter about the wonders of nature and the importance of connecting with the outdoors and with Supermoon Moonlight Part Two, the listener witnesses the closest glimpse yet of Fran’s vision to achieve that goal.
released September 2, 2022
Forest Robots and Supermoon Moonlight is dedicated to my darling Emma Sierra. May these songs and words shine brighter when night is about you, and may them always be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out.
Many thanks to my love, Sofia, for the gift of love, parenthood and family, Dan Seville for providing a beautiful space and support to channel the love of a father, and friends the world over for supporting Forest Robots throughout every release. I’m deeply grateful to all.
Front artwork by Aaron The Humble. Back artwork by Emma Rodriguez. Final design supervision, production and execution by Dan Seville.
© & ℗ All music, words and photos by Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock. Copyrighted and Published by Emmasierra Songs & Forest Robots™ under exclusive license to Subexotic Records. Forest Robots™ is a registered trademark of Emmasierra Songs and Francisco Javier Dominguez Pennock. Unauthorized use is an infringement of copyrights, trademarks and proprietary rights.