The Future of What

Unwound | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 21, 1995)
• Original Release Date: April 27, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kill Rock Stars
• ASIN: B00000373D
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,222 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. New Energy

2. Demolished

3. Natural Disasters

4. Re-Enact The Crime

5. Equally Stupid

6. Pardon My French

7. Descension

8. Accidents On Purpose

9. Petals Like Bricks

10. Vern's Answer To The Masses

11. Here Come The Dogs

12. Disappoint

13. Swan

14. Full Explanation Of Answer

15. Excuse Me But Pardon My French

16. Bonus Track

17. Bonus Track

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best!, June 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Future of What (Audio CD)

I've frequently heard it said that "New Plastic Ideas" is the best Unwound album out there... not so..."the future of what" is deifinitely the best documentation out there of this WA based trio. What this album lacks in the song to song consistency present on "ideas" it more than makes up for in bredth and vision. The album moves from the over the top loudness of "new energy" to spatially expansive "disappoint" and grand finale, managing to encompass everything in between (songs in 10/8 and 9/4 for example). The album is great partly because it has no standout tracks (although Equally Stupid is easily my favorite), and also because it doesn't linger too long on any one thought the way "repetition" and "fake train" do. Also included for your enjoyment are several minutes of strange organ music in the songs "pardon my french" and "excuse me but pardon my french" (brilliant!) and, of course a couple tracks of standard noise-making nonsense. The album's only downside is the track "here come the dogs" which, while not a bad track altogether, has such a nirvana-esque intro that it renders it completely useless when compared to the rest of the mind-numbing set. I have easily over 500 cd's of all types of music and this is one of my top ten...take care though: i didn't really get into this album until about half a year after i bought it. if you aren't really familiar with unwound, it takes some getting used to. oh yeah, brilliant words too: "another episode, behind the tainted screen, a choking victim of its vomit, naturally, a scary horrorshow that starts to speak too slow and then it makes it clear that it will disappear." but this album won't.... ever. If you don't buy it, borrow it from someone!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sigh...another lost classic..., June 18, 2006

By 

Wheelchair Assassin (The Great Concavity) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Future of What (Audio CD)

They may not have received as much attention or acclaim as some of their peers, but in terms of rejecting traditionally commercial sounds, Unwound were a key band in finishing what the likes of Nirvana and Soundargen had started. Where the bands out of Washington State that dominated the first half of the '90's (along with the countless imitators that followed) still tended to follow traditional compositional styles, Unwound pretty much refused to make any nods to accessibility, with most of the songs on The Future of What constituting angry middle fingers at such quaint ideas as predictable structures and straightforward arrangements. Indeed, what struck me first upon listening to this album was how ugly most of the songs were, at least upon initial contact. Granted, nothing here quite achieves Jesus Lizard-style fugliness, but there's still some pretty messy and atonal stuff to be found. Justin Trosper may not have been among the most technically skilled rock guitarists of the 90's, but his style definitely ranks up there with the most unique and interesting. Choppy riffs and pretty microtonalities pop up from time to time, but more often than not his playing is assaultive and abrasive, relying heavily on feedback and distortion for a sound that ducks, dives, bludgeons and dances in equal measure. What structure does exist mostly comes from the rhythm section, particularly chick drummer Sara Lund, whose skin-pounding is often explosive but always measured and dexterous. With Justin's monumentally urgent howls topping things off, the end result of is a wild, reckless, and unhinged album that veers recklessly all over the map. Just check out the mountainous dynamics of slow-burning epics like Swan and Disappoint, or the way Equally Stupid and Accidents on Purpose segue without warning between violence and placidity. Also, I should note that while I've seen lots of comparisons between Unwound and Sonic Youth, the similarities are more in attitude and spirit than in sound; you won't hear too much of the Youth's New York cool in these songs (nor will you detect much of the reflectiveness and maturity of Unwound's also-excellent swansong Leaves Turn Inside You). That said, for indie rock fans who lean more toward the Sonic Youth/Fugazi/Drive Like Jehu end of the indie spectrum, The Future of What is essential listening.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars magnificent and beautiful, February 15, 2000

By 

Christopher Kingman "Philosopher / Revolutionary" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Future of What (Audio CD)

it's a crime that no one has reviewed this album before now. unwound are one of the most underrated bands of the '90s. this album, along with repetition are their best. unwound manage to mix incredible moments of beauty in their uncompromizing noise-rock. the song structures and melodies on this album are incredibly inventive and unconventional, yet at the same time wholly engaging and absorbing. truly a magnificent and beautiful piece of music. i have both the vinyl and the cd i love this album so much, but it should be noted that the cd comes with extra boredom.