The Futureheads Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
The Futureheads made a bold move by releasing This Is Not the World on their own label, Nul Records. However, that might be the boldest thing about it -- This Is Not the World often feels like the band's take on a pop album, full of streamlined, punchy songs that aren't exactly dumbed-down, but do sound much more straightforward than any of the Futureheads' earlier music. Trying to keep up with all the harmonies, quick tempo changes, and razor-sharp riffs the band crammed into The Futureheads and News and Tributes was a big part of what made those albums so appealing and rewarding on repeated listens, so This Is Not the World's simpler approach is a little disappointing. It's also a bit surprising, considering how ambitious and introspective News and Tributes was, but where that album looked inward, This Is Not the World is almost all action; even "Hard to Bear," some post-breakup friendly advice that's the closest thing to a ballad here, gallops along at a relatively brisk clip. "The Beginning of the Twist" and "Think Tonight" prove that the album's glossy production didn't hinder the band's energy at all -- drummer Dave Hyde's playing is so propulsive, it's almost tangible -- yet too often, the energy the band pumps into these songs is more memorable than the songs themselves. None of them are actively bad (not even the oddly Proclaimers-esque "Walking Backwards"), but "Work Is Never Done" and "See What You Want to See" feel worryingly like they were drafted from the same revved-up template. Fortunately, more than a few moments balance the quirky urgency of the Futureheads' earlier work with their simpler aesthetic here: "Broke Up the Time" is a classic Futureheads song, barreling along with call-and-response riffs and harmonies and leaving plenty of hooks in its wake. "Radio Heart" stutters and croons a tune about tuning into true love, with jagged guitars and spooky backing vocals that make it just strange enough. "Sleet" is aggressive and flirty at the same time, pairing rapid-fire drums with cheeky lyrics like "Let's go to bed, but let's not go to sleep." "Sale of the Century" is another standout, giving some of News and Tributes' leftover angst an angry focus with a sputtering one-note guitar solo and more of Hyde's outstanding drumming. These songs are so good, so effortless, that they end up highlighting how just-OK a lot of the album is. It's mildly disappointing that the Futureheads' first independently released music sounds more conventional than what they issued on other labels, but This Is Not the World is still a solidly enjoyable album on its own terms. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though the Area EP suggested that the Futureheads' sound had matured since the days of their early singles and self-titled debut album, the extent to which the band has grown on News and Tributes still comes as a bit of a shock. Granted, many of the songs on The Futureheads had been around for a while, so it was almost inevitable that when the band returned with new material, it would sound at least a little different. Still, the big, polished sound that producer Ben Hillier gives News and Tributes -- which adds muscle and swagger to the rockers and atmosphere to the ballads -- comes as a bit of a surprise, which is only underscored by the album's lyrical depth. Basically, the Futureheads have grown up, and News and Tributes is all about the changes that happen and difficult choices that must be made while growing up. This means the album has a lot less songs about robots and first days on the job, and a lot more songs with titles like "Cope" and lyrics such as "please remember to let me down gently." Fortunately, though, the tension between the Futureheads' bigger, more confident sound and lyrics that are anything but gives their music a sharper focus than it did on their first album. The opening track, "Yes/No," sounds like it's bounding out of the gates, but advises listeners to "think about it properly, go back to the beginning." It's emphatically indecisive, eloquently expressing the push-pull of entering grownup life. "Back to the Sea" is a shattering breakup song about moving on even when the one you love wants to stay where they are, while "News and Tributes," which pays its respects to the 1958 Manchester United football team (most of which were killed, along with several officials and journalists, in an icy Munich air crash that was the football equivalent of "the day the music died"), is a pretty literal, and touching, statement on the death of idealism and innocence. Even the album's cheeriest track and lead single, "Skip to the End," is in keeping with the rest of News and Tributes' sadder-but-wiser feel: as bouncy as it is, as winning as its "na-na-na-na"s are, it's also a wish to avoid -- or at least be prepared for -- any more heartbreak. Songs like this, as well as the playful, Beach Boys-tinged "Thursday" and the ultimately hopeful final song, "Face," ensure that News and Tributes never crosses the line from earnest to self-pitying. Even though the razor-sharp riffs of "Fallout" and the storming rocker "Return of the Berzerker" feel like shout outs to the more innocent days of The Futureheads, News and Tributes is a far cry from the all-out rush of fun of their debut. Ultimately, though, it's a stronger set of songs, showing that the Futureheads are in it for the long haul -- another fine sign of maturity. [The U.S. version of News and Tributes includes tracks from the U.K. Area EP and Shy Child's loopy remix of "Decent Days and Nights."] ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On their self-titled full-length debut, the Futureheads turn the promise of their early EPs and singles into an almost relentlessly playful, lively, and smart album of zippy post-punk-pop. Even though shades of XTC, the Jam, and Gang of Four (whose Andy Gill produced the album) jump out at almost every turn on Futureheads, the band's chiming, precise vocal harmonies -- which sound more British Invasion than new wave -- give their sound a distinctive kick. And, while they follow in roughly the same footsteps that other post-punk/new wave renovators like their friends Franz Ferdinand, the Futureheads sound too spazzy to be quite that fashionable; likewise, they're bouncy and danceable without being tied into the increasingly tired dance-punk sound. Futureheads includes a few songs from the 123 Nul and First Day EPs, and while the album doesn't exactly suffer from the inclusion of tracks like "Robot," "Carnival Kids," and "First Day," the band's newer work shows how they've already refined and expanded their sound since they wrote these songs. With its slower pace and doo wop-inspired vocal arrangement, "Danger of the Water" finds the group trying on different ideas for size. The breezy "Meantime" and "Trying Not to Think About Time" stretch and snap in all directions, with tight dynamic shifts and wound-up melodies. As distinctive as the Futureheads' sound is, the album's standout track is a cover: their tremendous version of Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love" captures the breathless buzz of falling in love. It's the perfect combination of the band's thrilling sound and strong, evocative songwriting, a department in which the band's own work can fall a little flat: individually, tracks like "Le Garage," "He Knows," and "Alms" are bracing fun, but they tend to blur together within the album's context. Fortunately, singles like "A to B" and "Decent Days and Nights" and final track "Man Ray" show that the Futureheads can write songs that don't just depend on their emphatic delivery. While a little more depth in their songwriting would make them unstoppable, the Futureheads' first full-length is an undeniably exciting debut that just gets better with repeated listens. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
