No Band Is An Island: Reviewing Future Islands' Major Label Debut

Future Islands

A lot of people are going to remember Future Island's debut performance on David Letterman last year.  If not for their quirky, '80s-inspired synth pop, for lead singer Samuel T. Herring onstage antics - his epileptic dancing and occasional death metal growls belying the chirpy synthesizers.

Those who know me know that my tastes in the '80s was more on the gothic side of the musical spectrum, what they now call dark wave.  Future Islands reminds me of the bouncy, happy-go-lucky synth pop I disliked in the '80s - Bronski Beat, Fine Young Cannibals, and Feargal Sharkey, especially Feargal Sharkey.  To illustrate this point, this morning, I played my wife a Feargal Sharkey video on YouTube.  The similarity is frightening to me, but it wasn't that apparent to my wife.  She suggested that the only common denominator is that both Sharkey and Herring have unusually shaped heads.

I should mention at this point that - even if I didn't like that type of synth pop in the '80s - I like it now.  I have developed a perverse sense of nostalgia in my old age.  And so it is with Future Islands.  They both annoy me and stir something in me at the same time.  The worst that I can say about them is that most of their songs kind of sound the same.  But they are catchy.

All the songs on "Singles" - their major label debut - are driven by a steady drum beat and thumping bass infectious enough to get your arms swinging from side to side, snapping your fingers as you shuffle back and forth... wait, dancing kind of like Herring...  The beat is offset by celestial synthesizers that give the music a kind of dreamy feel that make this band worthy of the 4AD label designation that they wear like a badge.  Herrings vocals are Elton John-ish, David Bowie-ish, perfect for their brand of music.

None of these songs are going to get a lot of play from me, but they are not bad,  A few songs stand out - the opening track and main single, "Seasons (Wait For You)", and "Spirit".  "Sun in the Morning" ends with a brass section that makes it worth listening to,  "Fall From Grace" is their only moody song.  It starts with subdued vocals worthy of Bauhaus, but ends with growls and shouts.  My favorite song is the final track, "A Dream if You and Me.".  I think this song captures the essence of who the band is.

So not bad, but not super great either.  I will always be mesmerized, however, by Herring's dancing  See for yourself.

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