Future Islands - The Far Field

thats some truly Trumpian grammar there, turry

never heard that one before, really good

speaking of non-album stuff I really dug "The Happiness of Being Twice" which is kind of a detour into campy synthpop territory but I love it anyway

hoping this new album explores a few new avenues. I like 'em and all but I'm starting to feel like I could pen a Future Islands song in my sleep

xpost:

...said the artist formerly known as "spazzmatazz"

'spazz' ain't a slur here in the states, bub. thats like me judging you for calling a cigarette a fag or casual use of 'cunt'

'spazzmatazz' is part of the pastichio medley, fwiw

also please listen to Cotton Flower, I think you'll dig it

No worries, cunt.

so are big Future Islands fans also into his rap persona, or not so much?

lmao never change xp

so are big Future Islands fans also into his rap persona, or not so much?

― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, February 2, 2017 1:42 PM (forty-six seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHOMIL_6x7k

@jordan yeah I dig Hemlock Ernst, seen him play a handful of sets, i forgot if he put a record out though?

Just an EP w/Madlib, here are some of his other appearances for those that are curious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbOoZfe2yI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SUS4jIA7Zw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t2sstBcHcM

to me this sounds a lot like a fusion of "Spirit" and "Light House" from Singles

can't wait for this album

I caved and bought the album on vinyl. I totally get the criticisms: The music isn't really all that dynamic or all that interesting; there's very little variation between tracks; the lyrics sound pregnant with meaning but under closer scrutiny mean jip all. It's really a retread of everything they've ever done; it's very safe and they're in serious danger of being labeled a one-trick pony.
But my god, when I actually put this album on all that critical noise just washes away. I love it. 'North Star' is just luscious - maybe their best song since 'Waiting on You'. The bit where Herring sings 'I'm scared' on Through The Roses sounds genuinely heartfelt, transcending any tongue-in-cheekness that might be associated with his schitck. 'Ran' is a fantastic single. Debbie Harry is a fantastic foil on 'Shadows' (she seems to mimic Herring's OTT earnestness here). The whole thing is just so spacey and luxurious and great.

Through the Roses -> North Star is the best part of this record i think

yeah the highlights. pleasing that one ends the first side, the other kicks off the second, so you look forward to flipping the thing over.

oh shit i forgot i made this thread. lot of discussion on the other Future Islands thread about the new record. i need to listen to it again - watched the Coachella stream last weekend and 'Ran' really clicked for me.

been relistening to their past stuff. I can't believe how good In Evening Air is, in hindsight. I mean their following albums are all just as good, but I remember being disappointed by the IEA, cuz I loved "The Happiness of Being Twice" a ton and was sad they didn't become just another synthpop revival band. obviously the direction they went in was a lot more interesting.

these guys are kinda like Rancid, in the same way that Rancid was clearly not that deep in terms of what they did and very derivative of the Clash etc, but at the same time had some really infectious pop instincts and great songwriting at times....and were a bit more modern feeling than their influences and maybe even had a little more horsepower than the stuff they aped

Future Islands is the Rancid of Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark basically

yea I can get behind that

they're definitely students of rock/pop history... album insert is one of those classic b&w photo collages of the band working in the studio. and they recorded it at Sunset Sound in LA. liners say it was all done just this past November (!), but I remember them posting pics of them recording at Abbey Road over a year ago... did they put out a standalone single or something?

this is the worst music ive ever heard

great post

btw this album is what I was hoping Singles would be. I remember in an interview one of em mentioned they titled the record that because they thought every track was just that great, and even though the record was pretty good I thought it had the biggest variance in quality of any of their albums. Far Field on the other hand really does feel that way, I like every track on it. It's a very solid record.

the album of young turks variants we were promised

Future Islands is the Rancid of Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark basically

― blonde redheads have more fun (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, April 21, 2017 6:22 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yea I can get behind that

― frogbs, Friday, April 21, 2017 6:32 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I can't. Future Islands do not compare to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in any way, and if Future Islands were indeed derivative of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark then I wouldn't find them such a steaming pile of horseshit.

hey turrican, do you like future islands?

maybe direct your noiseless OMD detector with perfect responsivity toward space to check for alien OMD-like signals?

Simon Le Bon returns to thread again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Z5WjGlZ6E

Future Islands is basically a version of Destroyer I can enthusiastically get behind

I assume your only experience with Destroyer is with Kaputt?

Yep.

I've had this album a while now and I've noticed two or three things:

1. Despite playing it every day, I'm still not bored of the songs, if anything quite the opposite
2. Despite complaints that they've been writing the same song over and over again, I'm finding that the individual songs are really standing out from each other
3. Despite people saying that this is somehow a 'safer' retread of the Singles album, listening to the two together on shuffle it's clear that the songwriting and ideas on the Far Field are MUCH stronger

Also, as an average-looking anti-rockstar, Samuel T Herring is fast becoming my personal pop hero. The man is a dynamo. I'm especially loving the almost-too-much cookie-monstering on this Jools Holland performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYdeWjbaa9s

can also confirm he is an exceptionally nice person

I do agree with all that - IMO "these guys do the same thing every time!" is only a valid complaint when the songs aren't good, and they definitely are on this one

for the record I still think "Song for our Grandfathers" is the best song they ever did and I can't really explain why. it hits me like a pile of bricks every time I hear it.

Yeah and the production on this one is noticeably fuller than on Singles too when you compare them b2b.

Gonna relisten to Song For Our Grandfathers now.

Still would like to see them go full Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds on the next one, with STH doing his best Richard Burton/Justin Hayward split-act

Also, as an average-looking anti-rockstar, Samuel T Herring is fast becoming my personal pop hero. The man is a dynamo. I'm especially loving the almost-too-much cookie-monstering on this Jools Holland performance

AKA complete garbage. People like this band?

gtfo

Mind you the current incarnation of Blondie were a 1000 times worse.

(xp) LOL I just watched them like 10 minutes ago, I'd never heard them before.

FWIW, I've done a personal 'best of' playlist on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/user/1153731601/playlist/5HURKBbLRBoSwKiifApJ6M - mostly from the last two albums, mind, cos I haven't really delved into the earlier work.

I know I keep banging on about this but I'm amazed at the lasting appeal of this album. I put it on most mornings while getting ready for work and still enjoy pretty much every moment and notice something new about it every time

Sam did some backing vocals on the new Celebration album. An interesting voice to hear in a supporting role.

*Sigh*

It's not that I didn't like The Far Field (it's their best album). I really wish they'd release the epic synth-prog concept album they've been threatening to make. But no, the latest song is more gloopy basslines with Sam singing vaguely about trying to chase unrequited love. Again.

Maybe the rest of the album will mix things up a little.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81z1GM5fSPL._SY355_.jpg

As Long As You Are, out October 9th.

01 Glada
02 For Sure
03 Born in a War
04 I Knew You
05 City’s Face
06 Waking
07 The Painter
08 Plastic Beach
09 Moonlight
10 Thrill
11 Hit the Coast

that album cover is admirably headache inducing

Reminds me of a better executed version of that terrible Car Seat Headrest cover.

I'm surprised how much I have gone back to The Far Field. Bit of a shame it didn't have the same impact Singles did as it's a much consistent record.

Excited for the new album even though the singles suggest they aren't messing with the formula again. There's just something so comforting about what they do.

definitely but I agree with the assessment that they seem capable of so much more

yeah they definitely seemed on the edge of doing something really interesting for a while but have since made it clear they're never going to unfortunately

never really gave The Far Field much of a chance before but now that I'm giving it a proper listen I think it's their best, it's way more consistent than their past albums

agree, although I wonder if this new album is going to be different in any way from everything they've done before.

oh I just said that last month

I wonder if my next post is going to be I any way different from everything I've done before

The singles suggest this won't be anything different. I liked the first single (For Sure) but the other two haven't grabbed me as much. I'm still optimistic about the album as The Far Field was so good and maybe even their best. Tough competition from In Evening Air though.

Just read this article where the band says they thought The Far Field was a rushed, weak album that was "condescending." I personally have to completely disagree, I really loved it. Their new one is fine but from my first listen, it doesn't pack the same punch. Very hard to see how TFF was condescending, it felt very alive and real to me.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/09/we-lost-ourselves-future-islands-the-synthpop-band-who-nearly-blew-it

Oh wow, that is such a weird take on the last album. It's a much stronger record than Singles and I don't see it as condescending in anyway. When he repeats, "we can pull through together" I take it as him being totally sincere and find it really powerful.

I wasn't expecting to love the new one based on the last couple of singles but it's a really beautiful album. It's a bit more understated than the last couple and it suits them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rror7CiZfYs

Can't blame em for trying something a bit different. Shame it's not particularly interesting. They always seem to stop just short of being the band they deserve to be

he's been doing cool hip hop production as Hemlock Ernst, I think he's better at that

new album is good in that it sounds exactly like all the rest of their albums

Yeah. I enjoyed it but didn't really come back to it.