Future Islands - On The Water

cute video, love this band but was a bit disappointed by the last record

Apparently, they were great at FYF.

anyone heard it yet?

These guys were one of the few opening bands (for Dan Deacon) I was really impressed by. It's hard to take them seriously but they do write great songs and the singer is incredible. I bumped into him at a later show and he turned out to be a really nice guy who seemed very surprised that someone would recognize him.

I haven't heard them yet but I think I'm seeing them tonight in Baltimore. Pretty psyched

The other single - the one that was a 7" on Thrill Jockey a couple of months ago ("Before the Bridge" maybe?) - was really great. I am looking forward to this.

Just picked it up - so far I'm digging it more than "In Evening Air". Reminds me of a good Yukihiro Takahashi album, has a real new romantic vibe and some cool synthpop-type stuff. It's really well-produced and most of the songs are pretty memorable. I would say that I liked Sam more when he was just yelling everything but he's definitely a better vocalist now. The droney track in the middle "Where I Found You" is a real stunner. I'm only on my second listen but I suspect this is going to be my favorite of the three.

by the way don't read the Pitchfork review, they give it a good score but the review makes the album sound a lot more boring than it is

<3 this so much. What do you mean "hard to take them seriously"? Because the vocals and music are so full of pathos?

Tin Man was the first song of theirs I heard and it hooked me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GhtZt2HYkM

They were really boring live; I thought they'd be like frenzied electro jams and they were just dull and plodding and sounded like third-rate Tears for Fears b-sides. Half the time I was just thinking "who actually desires to make music that sounds like this?" and then I left the show early.

I saw them live before In Evening Air came out, and I wasn't even sure if they were taking themselves seriously then. Sam was bellowing like a madman, hitting himself, etc., and you've got that bass player with the goofy moustache, all the ultra-dramatic lyrics, etc. etc. When I got the CD I was impressed that it wasn't as campy as I thought it would be and was surprised that they started going more overboard with every release instead of turning into an average dancepunk band like they could have. Either way I think they're totally awesome.

camp will always be an inseparable part of a lot of baltimore music. it doesn't mean they don't take themselves seriously (quite the opposite)

sam's performance is what hooked me into this band, tbh

i really like the new one

interesting thing about the vocalist - he's a little more gruff sounding - but i really think he apes peter gabriel's vocal PHRASING a lot, which before i heard this i never thought of gabriel as having distinctive phrasing, just a distinctive voice, but in "tin man" the phrasing is so gabriel to me

sometimes he sounds like a mad leprachaun tho

i've really been meaning to check this out

it's good, kind of interesting update on 80s synth pop but feels really current, very dramatic almost camp, seems like something you would like

both "Before the Bridge" and "Where I Found You" are stunners

Touring the UK next March, must try to see them if they're anything like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGYaPSI5tkg

They have a show in London in December as well.

I can confirm in evening air remains a wonderful album

They are the quintessential band where I rarely think about them, then when a song comes up on shuffle I will become totally obsessed and play them non-stop for a week straight

this album is still so damn good. when I saw 'em on one of Danny Deacon's tours they were quite awesome but also a little tough to take seriously. But I'm still totally enthralled by this.

Dug this out. Better than I remebered.

I got this 7" with Will Oldham covering Sheryl Crow's "Strong Enough" on one side and the other side is credited to Microkingdom (with the Future Island singer on vocals), covering Springsteen's "I'm on Fire." That song is covered a lot, but this sounds practically like U.S. Maple - really crazy and free jazzy, and his vocals are fantastic - it's weird hearing that song sung sort of histrionically, since Bruce is so creepily sleepy on it, but it works well.

Anyway, yeah - such a good band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Ae-LhMIG0

can't stop listening to this

I had no idea they'd signed to 4AD

http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2014/01/Future-Islands-Singles-608x608.jpg

Stoked for the new album

that's really good - On the Water was probably my favorite album of 2011 so I'm really looking forward to this one

seriously obsessed with this song i keep meaning to listen to the ilm trax results but i can't stop listening to "seasons" over and over again

i miss his more painful higher straining voice but the combination of him + the guitar in the chorus is just arena huge and beautiful

i like this band a great deal.

Supposed to interview them this week, if anybody has any questions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ee4bfu_t3c

so good

also, how did the interview go some dude?

yeah. he looks like he's dodging imaginary lasers, but it's awesome.

great interview, they're really good dudes.

^^^ I've watched that Letterman performance like a dozen times & showed it to everyone I know who hasn't already seen it... they haven't been 'local' (formerly of Greenville, NC) for a long long time, but I know many of us in the Triangle still fondly remember being rocked like that in tiny venues, and it's wonderful to see them bringing it to a national TV audience

I don't think I've ever seen Letterman that excited after a performance

I DJd after one of their shows in hawaii and i put on screamin jay hawkins and dude started making the most joyful ruckus on the other side of the bar, literally swinging his beer back and forth like a cartoon pirate all yo-ho-ho style and then he came up to the dj booth and gave me the happiest smiliest high-five ever

also the video in the 2nd post is really beautiful and i watch it about once a month

i took these:

http://i.imgur.com/dWe8fzn.png

http://i.imgur.com/Tj5oB92.png

Jesus, those are beautiful

yeah 2nd one is so good

this song is really good but that letterman performance was like a deleted scene from "walk hard" or something

so i thought the letterman performance was like bad paul young karaoke. is the studio shit like good paul young?

It's all good. Give me all of that you've got.

missed there was a link to the actual video up top, sorry.

i wonder whether neil diamond or tom jones will cover this first.

you guys are making very good unintentional arguments for why they're awesome

i dunno if i'd say unintentional - i'm well aware someone could respond with "I love Paul Young!"

this is machine-tooled for ILX & will probably go top 5 in the EOY

On the Water was awesome in the same way and didn't get too much attention here.

Walter Galt
Posted: May 19, 2013 at 12:30:46 PM
They are the quintessential band where I rarely think about them, then when a song comes up on shuffle I will become totally obsessed and play them non-stop for a week straight

This is otm. I always hear "beach foam" on an old mix in my car and play it over and over.

New album is sick. I can't understand people who hate this band.

I can. It's the limp electronics, weak songs and borderline "hilarious" vocals that do it.

not enough 'musical content' for you?

The compositions aren't particularly great and the individual parts that the music comprises of are generally uninteresting and never coalesce into anything worthwhile... so in answer to your question: yes.

you mean the notes?

lol

My general reaction to this album is "this is what I wish Destroyer sounded like"

you mean the notes?

― Sufjan Grafton, Tuesday, April 11, 2017 4:49 PM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That would be one aspect of it, yes. My, we have some clever people here.

i like the record but nothing they've done has topped the one-off from 2012 "Cotton Flower" for me... that's a perfect song

Really enjoying the new record. North Star has been stuck in my head since I first heard it. It's such a lovely song.

"Comprises of". It's "...is comprised of", Mr Musicology.

Oh yes, that either could have been "comprised of" or "consists of" and in a rush I ended up with a mash-up of both. Shit happens. So yes, you're absolutely right, good catch. Your medal for services to pedantry are in the mail. Unfortunately for you, this doesn't change my stance on this woeful band and their music in any way.

*is

"Comprises of". It's "...is comprised of", Mr Musicology.

― albvivertine, Tuesday, April 11, 2017 10:57 PM (forty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

O_O

Turrican: T/S - Future Islands or The 1975? Show your work.

For clarification, I enjoy four aspects of these future island songs: the selected notes, the selected times at which these notes are excited in my atmosphere by my personal transducer, the harmonic content surrounding the notes caused by the way these notes were excited and input into the recording transducer, and the words sung by the vocal instrument.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Fingers_and_thumb_in_circle_downward_motion.jpg/220px-Fingers_and_thumb_in_circle_downward_motion.jpg

and the hooks, yes

that was @ turrypoo btw

Thank you kindly for the offer, qualx, but I'm afraid the prince you seek is in another castle. Ask your dad instead.

I think this is a good band.

I am amused at who doesn't.

That's all

this new one is just 100% hooks its good

Thank you kindly for the offer, qualx, but I'm afraid the prince you seek is in another castle. Ask your dad instead.

― ...so music and chicken have become intertwined (Turrican), Wednesday, April 12, 2017 2:04 PM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.7412653.0836/sticker,375x360.png

So far I'm convinced this is their best album, although listening to their back catalogue I will say that the format has been roughly the same for several years. I was kind of hoping they'd go full prog for this one.

"Future Islands sound like Robert Palmer struggling to untie a raincoat". David Quantick on Twitter

"Future Islands sound like Robert Palmer struggling to untie a raincoat". David Quantick on Twitter

psyched that Sam wore a Double Dagger shirt last night on Conan.

Sam singing with Double Dagger in 2009:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD8V-f4L2Jc

I'm out of the loop, is Turrican a less friendly Geir

*yawns*

I'd say a more cheerful Alex in NYC

Actually, I'll take that.

lots of double dagger/FI connections - William Cashion plays in a band with one of the guys from DD

yep, Peals - the record they put out last year is sweet. James Iha plays on "Punk Migration"!

Future Islands and Dan Deacon opened for Double Dagger at their last show in 2011.

So far I'm convinced this is their best album, although listening to their back catalogue I will say that the format has been roughly the same for several years. I was kind of hoping they'd go full prog for this one.

but yeah, I totally agree with the second part and it's been pretty funny to read reviews of The Far Field which are mostly like "they've been generally about the same thing, it's a band that values consistency, sticks to one formula and doesn't try to break musical ground, hey, they're good guys". I guess you can argue there's nothing wrong with making safe record but some of those writers go so out of their way to justify that it's hilarious.

I also think that this one is a lot less hook-based than Singles, nothing really caught my ear too much on this one, it flows pretty much from one song to another.

Every time it hits "Day Glow Fire", I stop whatever I'm doing and look up the song title so I can make sure I remember the name of the song this time. (It never works because, aside from specific new albums that I instantly imprint upon, I can't remember the names of any of the songs/tracks on any of the albums I purchase these days, but that one is a specific standout that distinguishes itself from the other songs to my ears.)

I like the new one a lot. Singles was awesome, why not spend a little bit more time in that mode?

i like this song "ran"

Ran is great. North Star is great. If they carry on in this groove for the next album they'll lose me but for now I'm quite happy to float around in their little weird world

it's got some great cuts like 'Time On Her Side,' 'Ran,' and 'Ancient Water,' but then there are clunkers like 'Shadows,' which is kind of cringe-y (imo)...

"Future Islands sound like Robert Palmer struggling to untie a raincoat". David Quantick on Twitter

^ This is such an insufferable "zing". Can almost hear someone chuckling "Oh, DELICIOUS!" into the arm of their smoking jacket.

a raincoat!

This band is great *and* that's a very funny joke from a very funny writer

joke is ilm xkcd

It's a good joke if you're one of the lamer British people on this board or Alfred Lord Sotosyn.

that is what they sound like though. (still great)

I'm quite enjoying Samuel Herring's debut of his hip hop side project as Hemlock Ernst with Kenny Segal.

ooooh wtf that's him? popped on my recommendations, it's good! i was wondering who the other dude was