The Futureheads, News and Tributes

For me The Futureheads latest album is quick off the mark from their last. It doesn't seem that long since Hounds of Love was aired twenty four seven on the radio and the band were touring faster than they could release singles. But looking back the band's debut album was released in 2003, and was put on the back burner while other British acts were hailed to stardom. Slowly the album gained momentum not really taking off until early 2005, so its about time we had another album from the highly acclaimed Futureheads, I mean what have they been doing for the past two years anyway?

'Yes! No! Yes! No!' seems to be the only words present on the first track, aptly named Yes/No. The song is bare consisting of minimum guitars and by the sounds of it, minimum words. It seems a strange song to start the album with as it sounds more like a football chant than a singalong to capture the audience. On the second track the momentum seems to pick up, though only slightly as the backing vocals sound synthesized and consist of one loud block of sound. Whereas on Fallout, my favourite on the album the voices return to their distingushable bit part harmonies along with handclaps and a catchy guitar riff.

The drums are the highlight for me on disappointing single Skip to the End. As the track fails to mount to anything its the drumstick rhythms that are the highlight on a song which fails to grab your attention. Burnt and News and Tributes breeze by without a care in the world as the most bland tracks on the album with which you are woken up to Return of the Beserker, by far the heaviest track, but not the best. The voices are muffled and the words are indistingushable. Guitars are turned up to the max but only consist of one repetitive riff mashing into a mess of noise surrounding incomplete vocals.

Back to the Sea is remeniscent of Danger of the Water from the debut as the song takes the direction of seperate voices singing at different stages in the song. Worry About It Later and Thursday are instantly forgettable among Favours for Favours which is a nice jaunty little number. In my opinion the album should have ended there but we are hit by Face as the last track, the bitter taste if you will. The song begins beautifully with one vocalist and a guitar. Here we are faced with something which has been missing from the whole album, a moment of peace to take in the song. Yet after less than a minute the loud brash vocals enter and drums drown out any magic from the track. The song does uplift a little in the form of a decent bassline but it seems the band's confidence gave in here as they try to turn everything into a hit single.

So was this album rushed? I'm not so sure. Now where a band's second album is rarely a disappointment a band such as The Futureheads who seemed so solid when they released their debut is a one off downfall. This album lacks the catchy guitar riff of their first and the originality of their harmony voices has now been squanded with their use of this technique at every possibility. Each song sounds the same as the last and is simply thrown together with a catchy riff which rarely varies from song to song.

Afterall The Futureheads biggest hit was Hounds of Love, and how can you expect to top Kate Bush?