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The British quartet the Futureheads deliver a stunning self-titled debut. Much of the music is at the very least vaguely similar to Gang of Four, but with much more accessible arrangements. One of the major aspects of this album that stands out is the immense vocal talent that all four members of the band obviously posess.
Lush vocal arrangements saturate songs like the stunning opener, "Le Garage", and the affecting, dreamy, a cappella-esque ballad "Danger of the Water". This doesn't stop the band from rocking, however. "Stupid and Shallow" and "First Days" rock like any good Mission of Burma tune (a few songs reminded me in particular of Burma's "Fame and Fortune", but that's just me.), although with less punk sensibilty and more accessibility. The Gang of Four influence comes out especially on songs like "Alms" and "Hounds of Love", and the lead singer does have a distinctly more vocally talented Jon King-esque voice, which compliments the cheese-grater guitars nicely. In addition to the almost always excellent songwriting is the sense of songcraft; the band never lets a song drag on too long. In fact, most songs barely stretch beyond two minutes in true punk fashion. Some songs could stand to be a bit longer though, such as the stellar first track, "Le Garage".
Lastly, one thing that is always omnipresent on this recording is a genuine sense of feeling from the singers; always belting with furious energy, it seems like the band must always be hopped up on well-controlled overdoses of caffeine. So, in conclusion, I loved this album, and if you like not-so-poppy pop music, then at least give this one a listen.
Lush vocal arrangements saturate songs like the stunning opener, "Le Garage", and the affecting, dreamy, a cappella-esque ballad "Danger of the Water". This doesn't stop the band from rocking, however. "Stupid and Shallow" and "First Days" rock like any good Mission of Burma tune (a few songs reminded me in particular of Burma's "Fame and Fortune", but that's just me.), although with less punk sensibilty and more accessibility. The Gang of Four influence comes out especially on songs like "Alms" and "Hounds of Love", and the lead singer does have a distinctly more vocally talented Jon King-esque voice, which compliments the cheese-grater guitars nicely. In addition to the almost always excellent songwriting is the sense of songcraft; the band never lets a song drag on too long. In fact, most songs barely stretch beyond two minutes in true punk fashion. Some songs could stand to be a bit longer though, such as the stellar first track, "Le Garage".
Lastly, one thing that is always omnipresent on this recording is a genuine sense of feeling from the singers; always belting with furious energy, it seems like the band must always be hopped up on well-controlled overdoses of caffeine. So, in conclusion, I loved this album, and if you like not-so-poppy pop music, then at least give this one a listen.
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