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Concert Wed Jun 02 2010
Future Islands @ The Hideout, 6/5/10
[The following review was submitted to Transmission by former staff member Dan Snedigar.]
Future Islands (Photo by Abram Sanders)
At first blush, the path chosen by electronic trio Future Islands seems fraught with potential pitfalls. Their self-applied "post-wave" descriptor and improbable line up of bass, synth and vocals could potentially be a set up for failure, potentially inviting the worst excesses of both the genres and tools of the trade. On their excellent sophomore long player In Evening Air, however, the band delivers a work of weighty intricacy, a record that transcends its obvious influences and renders something entirely new and interesting.
Formed in 2006 in North Carolina, the band has found legs since moving to Baltimore to become part of the burgeoning rock scene that includes such notables as Dan Deacon and Thrill Jockey label mates Double Dagger. Propelled to local notoriety on the strength of their frenetic live shows and the promising but uneven Wave Like Home LP, Future Islands landed on Chicago's Thrill Jockey label, releasing In Evening Air amidst a flurry of activity that includes the EP In The Fall and the excellent remix EP Post Office Wave Chapel.
Future Islands - Tin Man from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.
Songs are anchored by the synth work and drum programming of J. Gerrit Welmers, who creates shimmery, often angular sonic landscapes that would not sound out of place on a DEVO album. Bassist William Cashion channels Peter Hook, providing a solid framework for Welmers constructions. Vocalist Samuel Herring's vocals range from faux British affectations to a growl that invites comparisons to Tom Waits. Lyrically intelligent, Future Islands truly hit their stride on numbers such as the steel drum tinged "Tin Man" and the intricate yet driving "Inch of Dust." It has been said that there is nothing new under the sun, and Future Islands clearly owes a debt to those who have passed before them, but it is always exciting when a band can successfully carve something new out of the raw stock of the past.
Future Islands play the Hideout this Saturday, June 5th with Lower Dens and Altered States. Tickets are $8 and music starts at 9pm.
-Dan Snedigar
