Future Islands - On The Water

Yeah, I vote not very yachty at all. Is it the mostly smooth vox that does it? But, like, Tom Jones is not yacht rock, either.

wondering if these semi-ironic reclamations have to do with good listeners and critics still in thrall to what they think are punk orthodoxies.

there's also no real relation of any kind to Tom Jones either, tbf

*throws panties*

I guess I think of these guys asa synth pop band, like OMD, so yeahb the soft rock thing is weird to me. Esp the bass lines are so post punk to me

wait was was the supposed lesson of the book

i don't see how you can regard this record as anything but synth-pop, which has a healthy tradition of appreciation by the alt/indie set already and is in no need of any reclaiming/reappreciation in and of itself

(could be that this is a resurgence of a certain mode of ~feeling~ in that music, though)

xp yup those types of bands are their logical forebears, i guess that's not interesting enough or something

Not so synthpop at the live show I saw. Rather hard to pin down, actually, and surely this is a good thing.

If anything there's an element of James Murphy to it. A huskier, middle-aged guy totally giving his all vocally, albeit eccentrically, over dancy, synthy post-punk. I recall some interview with Murphy where he even had to ask if his take of I want to say "I Can Change" was too ott. Seems apropo.

what the heck future islands is totally of the new romantic era if anything

these guys couldn't be any more synth-pop if they used wang chung as a verb

just clicked through to the carl wilson piece and ffs alfred learn how to read

Breaking it down, the song scoops into mid-1980s U.K. synth-soul brie, a logical successor to “Yacht Rock” as a genre due for semi-ironic reclamation, but also has a hook that’s hard to forget.

He's saying "UK synth-soul brie" is due for reclamation, LIKE yacht rock already had

though lol that apparently none of us bothered to check for ourselves what carl had to say before casting our votes

He's still a monster imo

If anything there's an element of James Murphy to it. A huskier, middle-aged guy totally giving his all vocally, albeit eccentrically, over dancy, synthy post-punk. I recall some interview with Murphy where he even had to ask if his take of I want to say "I Can Change" was too ott. Seems apropo.

― Josh in Chicago, Monday, April 21, 2014 11:42 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

middle-aged? the members of Future Islands are 30ish and started the band in college.

As a guy pushing 40, I will say that, yes, that counts as middle aged in indie rock years.

You'd have to work out some algorithm factoring in things like coolness/attractiveness/genetic history/gender etc for that to be a workable system tho ie. can we just use years years

I use indie dog years.

time is a flat circle

You just say that because he's balding

http://99gifs.com/-img/5318e62f1605fb7efb0000e3.gif?w=400&h=225

The guy dances so old.

Also 30 pfft. Up to 30 is like teen years for ppl now.

I sort of think the cooler you are, the cooler it is to come off older. Like, Bryan Ferry has been 50 since he was 20.

not to suggest that these guys are beyond compare but I always thought the most appealing thing about Future Islands was how far off the synthpop/LCD axis their music could be. even their more straightforward/catchier songs ("Follow You", "The Happiness of Being Twice", and of course "Seasons") dont really fit the mold

http://www.streamingoldies.com/content-images/rays/RolandGift.jpg

once again we're making associations based on the singer's hairline instead of the band's music

you can't mention Bryan Ferry w/out reaching for hairlines

Except y'know Eno wins over ferry at everything baldness included

Bryan Ferry has had the most impressive and well-styled hair in rock for more than 35 years. Eno has had the brainiest scalp. It's like comparing Pinochet and Stalin.

Initially I thought 'Seasons' was a bit top heavy with all the best songs being at the start. After a few weeks of listening I feel the exact opposite and it's actually the 2nd side of the LP (from 'A Song for Our Grandfathers' onwards) that I like the most. Always a sign of a genuinely good album that.

bit late to the thread. why does every song on this sound like something else from the early-mid 90s? Born Slippy, Falling etc? This is a weird thing at the moment, like Haim - making tracks that just remind you a little bit of a bunch of old songs, but not enough to put your finger on them

it's retro, but what kind of retro is it??

more like future hasbeens

sounds to me like you enjoy hot dogs and a good laugh!

Two performances on Kimmel last night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goXSBOL_7FE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZJ01ed1bWY

man his whole posi-vibes motivational speaker routine is so not my thing and yet i find it so endearing

haha yeah...there's something so cute and kind of inspirational about how earnest it all is, like the guts to be so dorky in a world of all these cool sunglasses synth bands

also the bassist is really great, in a low-key, tasteful way that doesn't really call too much attention to itself

I only saw "Doves" last night. Did that first clip not air or do I suck at DVR?

So awesome to see these guys on TV. I remember back in 08 or so seeing Sam at a Dan Deacon show in Milwaukee - he wasn't performing or anything, just hanging out and helping to sell shirts and CDs. He was surprised that anyone recognized him but couldn't have been more friendly, even handing out a signed copy of the first Future Islands disc. I remember my friend telling me "these guys should be huge"...they're not exactly there yet but seeing them on TV is a real trip.

set aside the sound completely, and there is something about this dude/frontman that is completely and totally engrossing, in a good way.

this has already been said, but it bears repeating because that's a quality we see less and less of, i think. like, to the point where when i see/feel it, i'm shocked.

part of it, i think, is how increasingly rare it is that a band has a singer who doesn't play an instrument onstage, let alone one who actually uses that opportunity to physically throw themselves into the 'frontman' role.

For sure that was going on with Craig Finn, at least for a while. His role was that of a dude just so happy to be there that he wanted everybody else to be as happy as he felt, too. Like be the world's biggest fan of the band that you're fronting.

sam has a pretty awesome rap side project called Hemlock Ernst, played here in baltimore at the crown on saturday, wish i got more video but there were like 4 dudes who came just to film him

yeah there was a whole weird thing after Singles came out where Pitchfork and all these other sites were suddenly posting old Hemlock Ernst live footage from the Metro Gallery or w/e because i guess it was a big revelation that he rapped and has he put out any records of that stuff yet?

I'm not sure- dont think so, at least not in a while / not on a big scale, but i know he's been doing it for years, since they were still in NC

everybody here's checked out Art Lord & the Self Portraits, right?

yeah i didn't hear that stuff until they reissued it last year and it's really fun to hear them play in a different, formative context
http://friendsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-definitive-collection

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p020c03p

I've worked out what this band reminds me of so much and it's the War of the Worlds soundtrack with Richard Burton and various Moody Bluesmen.