Posted on: January 19, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

“News and Tributes” is one of the only tracks I’ve heard in the last few years that gives the bass such a major role in the create on of the overall sound of the track. The blend of futuristic styles like the New Romantic and the angular sounds of a prior time, The Futureheads at least fulfill half of their name. The band keeps with the older styles with a jangly sound not unlike The Clash during “Skip to the End”. Of course, the song would be boring if this was the only output of The Futureheads during this track, so there are segments where the band calls and responds, as well as an extended instrumental interlude that will bring listeners in by the barrelful. The only thing that can be said about “News and Tributes’ is that the production of the disc is excellent.

It allows the boney drum hits that reside at the top of the track as well as the bassy drumming to come to the listener’s ears without the slightest bit of fury lost. The guitar that flitters around the middle ground of “Worry About It Later” draw comparisons to early Rush, while the style of music that The Futureheads create on this track seem to be descendents of Joy Division more than anything else. The Futureheads shine on “News and Tributes” due to the fact that they can create a full-sounding track with little more than the most simple instrumentation. Sure, by the time that the chorus starts up on “Worry About It Later”, the track is not too terribly simple, but the song begins with the most basic building block and progresses to that point only because of The Futureheads’ ability. There are not immediately repeatable tracks on “News and Tributes” as there were on the first album (“Hounds of Love”), but the overall quality of the disc is higher than the last album.

The Futureheads are one of the best bands out right now in regards to uniting old styles of music with newer audiences. Their ability is enough that individuals can find something that they like about The Futureheads, even if the style of music that they play is not immediately something that listeners would tune in to. Here’s to hoping that the band is able to capitalize on this solid album to cut another few albums from the same cloth; there may be twelve tracks but the band could easily do twenty more.

Top Tracks: News and Tributes, Worry About It Later

Rating: 6.2/10

[JMcQ]

The Futureheads – News and Tributes / 2006 Star Time / 12 Tracks / http://www.thefutureheads.com / http://www.startimerecords.com / Reviewed 13 July 2006

Leave a Comment