Label: 679 Recordings

Release Date: Oct. 2004

Band site: thefutureheads.com

The Futureheads - s/t
Dan MacIntosh

The name The Futureheads is a bit of a misnomer, because this new English band is actually retro all the way. But it’s retro in the best sense of the word, however.

Guitarist/vocalist Barry Hyde yelps like Andy Partridge once did, back during the beginning stages of the beloved band XTC. Then again, the mechanical feel of a track like “Robot” brings Devo to mind, instead. Yet, with the possible exception of Franz Ferdinand (not coincidently, The Futurehead’s recent touring partner), there isn’t much currently that sounds a whole lot like this unique group.

These song’s beats are mostly, in a word, hyperactive. Nevertheless, “Danger of the Water” plays out like a hushed warning, with hardly any instrumentation at all. Lyrically, many of these tracks bring to mind David Byrne’s naïve-guy perspective/persona. Examples of this simplistic trait include “The City Is Here For You To Use” and “Trying Not To Think About Time.”

Still, it’s doubtful that The Futureheads is actually a shortened version of Future (Talking) Heads, just because of the Byrne reference point.

Even though it’s fun to find pogo-friendly rock & roll like this once again, the full effect of this release is sometimes just a little overly stimulating. Still, you just gotta believe that the future of The Futureheads is solidly bright.

posted 01.05.05

2002-2005 White Elephant Productions