Customer Reviews

News & Tributes

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Okay, I've said it before and I'll say it again, when it comes to rock music, well, great rock music that is, it all comes down to a band's ability to arrange a song. Anyone can play guitar and strum a little but it is when you run wild with it and give it some original oomph, that makes it brilliant. The Futureheads' News and Tributes is one of the best albums to come out of Great Britain in a long time...probably since their debut. News and Tributes contains a collection of more wider ranged songs than the debut where each song has its own feel. While listening, I couldn't help but think that it sounds more like a Greatest Hits album than anything. The order the songs play out is perfect, Lyrically it's stronger, and the arrangements of each and every song contain so many surprises that really I think it would take about five or more listens to really absorb it. In Fact the only song on it I don't like is the Decent Days and Nights remix and really that has nothing to do with News And Tributes. I'm not sure what this fad is with bands wanting to remix their own work. Interpol tried it, and it didn't work. Bloc Party Tried it and it was achingly embarrasing, and the Futureheads' Decent days And Nights remix is no exception. However the other bonus track are utterly amazing, particularly "Help Us Out." Other than that the album is perfect in every way. The Futureheads have obviously worked on their writing skills because unlike the first album (which for a debut was incredible) every song on News And Tributes provides a clearer perspective with more Pop Sensibilities. With so many british bands out there it really becomes a challenge to pick out the best one. What separates The Futureheads from the others is that they have always had the potential to steer away from the New Wave invasion whereas the others are most likely going to get stuck there. Sure Maximo Park, Bloc Party, and Kaiser Chiefs have some okay moments but none of their songs compare to even the weaker Futureheads songs which are inexistent on News and Tributes. The Futureheads know who they are and what they want to accomplish and through all the risk-taking moments on News and Tributes it is just that much more apparent. To me, The Futureheads to Great Britain are what The Strokes are to The United States...their country's best rock band.

My goodness, what a follow up. Very brave. Burnt is beautiful, probably my favorite.Favours for Favours is another favorite. Yes/No is a great indication of "we're back"-ness with it's build-up to anthemic arcadefire-esque chanting. At first i was dissapointed with the choice single Skip to the End but with a few listens it really became great. not really the effect you want from a single though i suppose. Ross' singing gets to shine on this album. Back to the Sea is 'one damn song that could make me break down and cry.' it did actually make me cry when they played it live. i don't know why. it's just so beautiful i guess. i don't understand why they arn't as big, or bigger, than franz and block party or even arctic monkeys for that matter. i love these guys. Brilliant.

Lazy critics lumped The Futureheads in with the whole neo-new wave/angular movement without much thought. However, once you scrape away the glossy sheen it becomes apparent that The Futureheads offer much more: a cappella harmonies, British invasion melodies, and post-hardcore guitars were often found within a single song. Each ingredient was added with some thought to the other, and none were overpowering. With their myriad of influences The Futureheads were poised for a colorful and diverse new album to eclipse their debut.

Did they succeed? Well, yes and no. This is a Futureheads album so the good far outweighs the bad, and while News and Tributes certainly expands The Futureheads' sound, it fails to best their debut. Of course, nothing short of the second coming could have satisfactorily followed up the best album of 2004.

News and Tributes lacks the razor sharp edge The Futureheads used to carve out the taunt songs on their debut. At times this works to their advantage on the Brill Building-ish "Thursday" and some of the poppier numbers ("Skip to the End," "Fallout," and "Worry About it Later"), but when things get too slow the songs don't hold together as well. "Burnt," for example, seems obligatorily heartfelt. Tellingly, two of my favorite songs - "Yes/No" and "Area" - could have been b-sides from their eponymous album.

However, the aforementioned "Thursday" shows that the band isn't afraid of letting a single style dominate, and the fact that this song exists on the same album that houses "Return of the Berserker" - faster than anything seen on their debut - proves that The Futureheads have the kind of range other bands couldn't cohesively keep together. What does keep this album together is the simple fact that these guys are great songwriters with no shortage of ideas.

Now that The Futureheads have shown their range you can be certain this album will be in my rotation until their third one marries diversity with consistency. When that happens I'll be well prepared for the sky to crack open and The Futureheads to lead us to the promised land.

I waited until I listened to the Futureheads new album a full five times before I let myself review it. Of course, by the third time, I was singing along and pumping my fist with absolute glee. Hard to believe that, as with their first release, I found myself thinking that I would never be able to sing along to such disjointed, herky-jerky music. But now, oh man, now, I stand corrected. This album is deeper, smarter and more complete than the first, which I still adore. But this one is so jumpy and excitingly spastic, while being more mature and even-keeled, that it just blows me away. It's brilliant, there is no other word. The songs keep you on your toes with wonderful twists and turns, terrific beats and their signature guitars and amazing vocals. They flow perfectly into one another, rocking and rolling and making me smile like no other band on the planet. This is the kind of music that truly satisfies.

I'm not a huge fan of the Futureheads' first album-- like Bloc Party's debut, it's so frantic and cluttered with musical ideas that nothing sticks. Their sophomore album, by contrast, sounds confident and fluid. The songs are allowed to stretch and breathe, developing each idea fully for maximum effect. Great production too-- ragged guitars and a thunderous drum sound beamed in direct from 1981. This is really good music!

The Futureheads hail from the north of England, and owe an obvious debt to 'Drums And Wires'-era XTC. But the Futureheads dial down the archness, and rough-up the sonics with a bit of sandpaper. 'News And Tributes' is their second release, and follows an excellent 2004 debut.

'Tributes' opens with the off-kilter "Yes/No". It careens like a speeding car with a shredded tire or two, its rims showering sparks all over the road. Like that car, "Yes/No" would rather tear itself apart than not reach its destination. Or put another way, this question is going to be answered, or else. Brilliant.

While the rest of 'News And Tributes' can't quite sustain that single-minded fury, it comes pretty close. The rough-edged hooks of "Cope", "Fallout" and "Skip To the End" illustrate 'Tributes' charms best.

"Cope" delivers its message in pounding 4/4 time, and interrupts its headlong charge only long enough to deliver its one-word chorus in a slo-mo time change. "Fallout" opens with a sheet of shimmering chords, which soon fall into rigid lockstep. By song's end, the vocals have followed suit, while the chorus gleefully breaks rank and flows against the beat. The jaunty "Skip To the End" is almost ska-like, and the clipped, percussion-driven beat dissolves in a burst of fuzzy, distorted guitars just before the "na na na na na na" chorus hits.

The effect is bracing. And if 'News And Tributes' doesn't have you by now, it likely never will.

Giving fifteen upbeat tracks (only "Thursday" could be called a ballad) a unique personality is no small feat, and that is the Futureheads'--and 'News And Tributes'--special genius. A shout-out should go to producer Brian Hillier, who gives the spare and uncluttered arrangements density and mass. The Futureheads waste notes like north-Englanders waste arable land--which is to say not at all. And were 'Tributes' not so-produced, it could sound as cold and windswept as its birthplace.

While it remains to be seen whether the Futureheads will ever completely absorb their influences, or will continue to wear them plainly (albeit wonderfully) upon their sleeve, I'm more than willing to suspend judgement in favor of 'Tributes' jagged delights.

I have seen Futureheads play a few times. I was really into them at first, and then got into other bands like Art Brut and Maximo Park. Now they have a second record and a new tour. I saw a show that was filmed for a TV show. The first album was produced by Andy Gill, so all the Gang of Four comparisons came with them I always liked the vocals. The new album seems solid. Better songs. No songs like "Hound Of Love" but good songs nonetheless. Some favorites are "Skip To The End" and "Back To The Sea." This record seems more like a great mod record. There is even a song called "Face" which recalls Quadrophenia. The Futureheads are a pretty talented bunch. I read a new interview with one of the guy from Futureheads, and Colin Newman, from Wire. It made me more interested in the band. The Futureheads are worthy of all our attention.

Catchy covers issued as debut singles are a great way of initially snagging some publicity, but Alien Ant Farm will be first in line to tell you that you've got to have something more than an `80s hit in your bag if you want ongoing success. Last year Sunderland quartet The Futureheads made waves thanks to their cover of Kate Bush's 1985 hit The Hounds Of Love, but compared to the rest of the Brit Class Of 2005, The Futureheads failed to make the lasting impact of Kaiser Chiefs, Hard-Fi or Bloc Party.
Thankfully, rather than come back a year later with a carbon copy of chirpy North England tracks with a sound more angular than the Golden Gate Bridge, The Futureheads have loosened their ties, rolled up their sleeves and starting punching above the featherweight league of fey and palid D-listers.
Sounding far tougher and with less of the moptop backing vocals of their debut, News & Tributes kicks off with the destructive barrage of Yes/No, which is a far meatier proposition than earlier Futureheads offerings. While following tracks sometimes act as throwbacks to their eponymous album (Fallout might as well be titled Decent Days And Nights Part II), even singer Barry Hyde admits on the Ziggy Stardust-style sounds of Burnt that `then he changed his voice, to a more serious tone'. The jagged guitar of Skip To The End, the speedy rock stomp of The Return Of The Berserker and the agitated handclaps of Back To The Sea indicate that the Sunderland boys are enjoying this turn towards rougher territory. The title track also expresses more depth than earlier songs about garages and robots, mourning the loss of numerous Manchester United football players in an aircraft accident almost 50 years ago.
The Futureheads have returned bigger and stronger. Alien Ant Farm must be seething.

I am really happy that some random user of myspace put a Futureheads track on their profile...otherwise I would not be here admitting a mistake I made about this band. News & Tributes is a confident kick-back and interestingly individual. They wear XTC and The Jam on their sleeve like everybody's business, but the layering to many of the tracks are too modern to call "revival." The song News & Tributes is just mouth-dropping. The single Skip To The End is catchy. Fallout makes me want to do 75 in a 15mph school zone. This is just top notch stuff. They outdid themselves and Sire are a bunch of fools to have let them them go.

The Futureheads are back with their sophomore album, "News And Tributes". Much like their 2004 self-titled debut, they explore an alternative post-punk landscape with elements of new romanticism thrown in here and there. On this album they remind me, in part, of early-era Elvis Costello, Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Clash and even a little The Knack thrown in for good measure.

I have several favorite tracks such as the first single, "Skip To The End", "Yes/No", "Favours For Favours", "Thursday" and "Help Us Out". All could be hit singles on alternative radio if given the chance. Unfortunately, The Futureheads aren't well known in America yet, but I'm sure us fans don't mind.

There are secondary tracks like "Cope", "Burnt", "News And Tributes", "Back To The Sea", second single "Worry About It Later" and "We Cannot Lose". These tracks solidify their sophomore release, lifting to above average status.

Then there are the tertiary tracks such as "Fallout", "The Return Of The Berserker", "Face", "Area" and the amusing Shy Child Remix of "Decent Days And Nights" from their debut album.

Overall, this should satisfy those like myself who are into the neo-new wave/punk/romantic movement that also includes The Postal Service, The Killers, The Music, Interpol, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Rock Kills Kid and others.