Review: The Futureheads - S/T (2004)
I was drawn into this one by the Kate Bush cover ("Hounds of Love") that's on the album. You can hear it, and other songs and videos on the Futureheads myspace page.
None of the Futureheads songs have the sort of emotional heft that Kate Bush is capable of mustering at her best. And that's OK, cause what they mostly do, and do well, is super taut post-post-punk (my friend insisted they sounded just like the Jam, and i can't say he's wrong.) Which is to say guitar pop.
I first listened to this with a buddy in the car, and it was a bit of an akward moment when it started up. Neither of us were expecting me to play something so... well, wussy. Sure, the Futureheads are playing some hip stop-start rock songs, and they sound real tight, but they also sound pretty cute. Which is to say adorable.
It caught me a bit off balance, but it's not necessarily bad. A tougher band wouldn't pull off the three and four part harmonies that the Heads bust out all over these tracks, an integral part of their appeal. At times it's a bit sugary (sometimes unbearably so - like the four bars of Beatles reference on "Carnival Kids") but that seems like a fair trade for some really great pop tunes.
The album is front loaded with the poppiest numbers, which may be a turn off to the more rock-inclined (and to be honest, that was initially a hurdle for me.) But on the latter half of the labum, and particularly the last two songs, there's quite a change in tone. Second-to-last is "Hounds of Love," the most emotionally resonant song on the album since the almost a capella "Danger of the Water."
The melody is classic, and the Futureheads recast in their own style, opening with a great vocal intro, before building up into the first full-on chorus. Where Kate Bush's vocals were unbridled, the Heads sound a lot catchier, and that's exactly how it should be.
It seems as though the cover is bound to dominate the latter half of the album, but in the final song, "Man Ray," the band does all the things that they didn't do on the first thirteen songs. There's the dark, nonsensical lyrics, the abrasive riffing, and the angular sensibility. All these elements combine perfectly with the Heads usual boyancy and knack for vocal arrangements to make for the most interesting original on the CD. There's something to be said for saving the best for last.
None of the Futureheads songs have the sort of emotional heft that Kate Bush is capable of mustering at her best. And that's OK, cause what they mostly do, and do well, is super taut post-post-punk (my friend insisted they sounded just like the Jam, and i can't say he's wrong.) Which is to say guitar pop.
I first listened to this with a buddy in the car, and it was a bit of an akward moment when it started up. Neither of us were expecting me to play something so... well, wussy. Sure, the Futureheads are playing some hip stop-start rock songs, and they sound real tight, but they also sound pretty cute. Which is to say adorable.
It caught me a bit off balance, but it's not necessarily bad. A tougher band wouldn't pull off the three and four part harmonies that the Heads bust out all over these tracks, an integral part of their appeal. At times it's a bit sugary (sometimes unbearably so - like the four bars of Beatles reference on "Carnival Kids") but that seems like a fair trade for some really great pop tunes.
The album is front loaded with the poppiest numbers, which may be a turn off to the more rock-inclined (and to be honest, that was initially a hurdle for me.) But on the latter half of the labum, and particularly the last two songs, there's quite a change in tone. Second-to-last is "Hounds of Love," the most emotionally resonant song on the album since the almost a capella "Danger of the Water."
The melody is classic, and the Futureheads recast in their own style, opening with a great vocal intro, before building up into the first full-on chorus. Where Kate Bush's vocals were unbridled, the Heads sound a lot catchier, and that's exactly how it should be.
It seems as though the cover is bound to dominate the latter half of the album, but in the final song, "Man Ray," the band does all the things that they didn't do on the first thirteen songs. There's the dark, nonsensical lyrics, the abrasive riffing, and the angular sensibility. All these elements combine perfectly with the Heads usual boyancy and knack for vocal arrangements to make for the most interesting original on the CD. There's something to be said for saving the best for last.
posted by Chris @ 11:00 PM
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