What do the woods of Giftwood Forest tell us? It's primarily the listeners' associations and memories that are evoked by the songs of singer-songwriters Jörg Szameitat and Mike Kolb. The powerful branches of their harmonies, the dense canopy of their guitars, speak louder than the lyrics alone. Wolfgang Völkl's sparkling piano runs and accordion carpets weave through the folky-rock songs like silvery streams, while the precise rhythm section around Wolfgang März and Wutschgo grooves through the undergrowth. The icing on the cake is the finely interwoven Simon & Garfunkel-esque vocals of Kolb and Szameitat, which are truly outstanding.

To say that Giftwood's music is "just" folk-rock is an understatement: sometimes funk sneaks into the arrangements, sometimes a jazzy piano line or a reggae guitar; the accordion alternately evokes alpine forests, the vast sea, or the swamps of Louisiana. Giftwood takes this music—what Giftwood calls forest rock—seriously, sometimes seducing, sometimes even beckoning to dance. They take themselves seriously, which is why there's sometimes room for mischief between songs at concerts.

Their new album, "Gravity of Time," will be released in fall 2018. It's more serious and, if you will, somewhat grimmer than their earlier works. Sonically, there are many new discoveries to be made in the Giftwood cosmos; after all, it's the first album with Wolfgang Völkl on various keyboard instruments. The typical Giftwood elements are, of course, still there: catchy melodies, two-part harmony vocals, and sheer joy of playing. A clear evolution, then, while still remaining true to their roots.