Albums and Abominations: Singles [B ]

By Benjamin Huber-Rodriguez     3/25/14 7:40pm

Where the 2000s will be seen by some as the great rock ’n’ roll revival era, boasting scores of new guitar bands paying homage to the legendary rock bands from 30 years earlier, the 2010s may be seen as the revival of synth music, paying similar dues to the founding synth and progressive groups of the 80s.

Where the 2000s will be seen by some as the great rock ’n’ roll revival era, boasting scores of new guitar bands paying homage to the legendary rock bands from 30 years earlier, the 2010s may be seen as the revival of synth music, paying similar dues to the founding synth and progressive groups of the 80s. While Future Islands may be one of this recent crop of talented new synth-based bands, they possess a secret weapon that should put their fourth LP, Singles, released on big-name indie label 4AD, miles ahead of their peers: the magnetic, enchanting presence of frontman extraordinaire Samuel Herring. His energy and ear for melodies turns each track on Singles, all of them capable pieces of music, into vibrant experiences for the listener to behold.

Search for any video of Future Islands playing a live gig, and you’ll be greeted by three competent musicians and one eccentric, wild singer, disguised as a normal Joe, busting moves and pouring his heart out on the stage. His energy is absolutely captivating, though it seems unlikely he could ever duplicate it on a recording. Give Singles a spin, however, and you can hear that energy, pain and impassioned restlessness in his voice. While other singers keep their voices airy or monotone, emotionally disconnected from the lyrics, Herring draws influence from growling vocalists like Chuck Berry and James Brown. A simple lyric like “Seasons change, but I’ve grown tired trying to change for you” would surely sound cliche in the hands of most singers, but Herring sings with such dire earnestness that it sounds as if he spent months agonizing over the exact way to express this very sentiment.

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The 80s influences abound on Singles:

Check out the Asian-influenced strokes on the extraordinary album closer “A Dream Of You And Me” that harken back to Let’s Dance-era David Bowie or the dark and pounding rhythm section, pioneered by legendary 80s group Depeche Mode, on “Light House.” These tracks could come off as musically generic, and without Herring they do to an extent, but the anticipated progression and alternating dynamics provided by the band eschew cheesy flourishes and place Herring’s vocals at the center of attention, exactly where they belong.

Lyrically, Singles is an album about calling out relationships, both familial and romantic, for what they really are. Its plentiful metaphors are riddled with references to the sea, as suggested by the cover artwork. “Sun in the Morning” could be taken literally, but when Herring cries out “She feeds me daily soul,” you get the impression that he’s talking about a potential wife or child. The slow jam “A Song for Our Grandfathers” describes the pressures of being a family man.

But when the record closes with “A Dream Of You And Me,” Herring lets all of his emotional distress wash away as he relaxes into a seafaring dream, filled with an empty vastness and inner peace. These are by no means master strokes at the complexities of human relationships, but the heart with which Herring vocalizes his internal struggles conveys a personal importance that groups taking wider swipes at life fail to communicate. And if heartfelt, resonant communication backed by solid, catchy synth tracks doesn’t make a great record, I don’t know

what does.

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