Customer Reviews

The Future of What

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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!

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.

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.

Easily the best band of the 1990s in terms of songwriting and genuine expression, and definitely not for apolitical happy people. More difficult to say is whether this is Unwound's best album, but who cares! What was Shakespeare's best play? Angrier than New Plastic Ideas, grittier than Repetition. Yes Unwound trod similar territory as Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Drive Like Jehu, but Unwound went way deeper and maintained a higher standard than the first two and stuck around longer than Jehu. I've never been bothered to post a review before, but I had to join the chorus here even though I have nothing much to add other than the pure enthusiasm of a musician & listener who's never found a band this original and so continually rewarding over many years (well, maybe I'll add that Vern's bass is equally genius as Sarah & Justin's playing). If you think Refused took punk places, or Converge have gone places more recently, check this out. If you've never heard any of these bands nor Unwound, I'm just plain happy that you've about to get this.