Quarterlifeparty

I started writing a review on the new Future Islands album On The Water a couple weeks ago but was having trouble pinpointing exactly how I felt about the album and needed a little time for it to settle in. Overall it is a wonderful album, but have had some difficulty, until now, putting it into words.

I’d say most reviews I have read say exactly the same thing in that the new album is a lot slower, but I can’t really say that is what stuck out to me when first listening. Yes, the album feels more spacious, less noisy production, but I can’t tell whether that is purposeful or that Future Islands just had better equipment (or knowledge/sound engineers) to help them out this time. What would In Evening Air sound like if they had produced it now? That’s not a question that any of us can definitively answer, but my point is that the new Future Islands album has a tighter sound to it and I think this has more to do with the actual music evolving (in Moss of Aura’s Gerrit Welmers and bass player Will Cashion) than in the vocals of Sam Herring (which are mostly unchanged since the previous effort).

For those who are not intimately familiar with the Baltimore scene you may already know about Future Islands but have never heard of Moss of Aura. However, Moss of Aura (Gerrit Welmers, the keyboardist in Future Islands) is what really provides them with their sound, and that is the sound that really stands out on this album (moreso than the last). Welmers sound has grown a bit in the past year and the best I way I can describe it is as a dark tropical electronica that sometimes borders on what you might here in a soundtrack to an anime film. These lush sonic landscapes are the perfect soundtrack to the “stories” Herring sings about. I would highly suggest picking up both On The Water and Wading, putting them in a playlist and hitting shuffle.

Moving on, Herring has definitely gone through some evolvement as well since In Evening Air. On The Water, although more spacious, feels a bit more hopeful as well. The Tin Man who was heartbroken and malcontent a year ago feels just as heartbroken now, only more accepting of the fate handed to him and perhaps has fleeted inward after lashing out. You get the sense not of a light at the end of the tunnel, but at least he is starting to walk in the right direction. This is not to say Future Islands are going to be putting out happy nursery rhymes about candy and puppies a year from now, but there does seem to be a noticeable change in mood on On The Water

Delving into song specifics:

- “On The Water” has a very literal intro with what sounds like boats clinking together on a less than serene body of water before the beat and bassline come in. I like the “whip” beat that courses throughout. I usually skip this song, it takes a bit of patience and the right mood, but it does work well as an intro before the second song…

- “Before The Bridge” – when the reviews say that this album is slower, this is a song that defies that and could have easily been a b-side from In Evening Air

- “The Great Fire” – All these songs have such epic names ( I wouldn’t expect anything less). This song doesn’t really hit its mark until the chorus when Wasner’s (Wye Oak, Flock of Dimes) voice comes in. After the chorus the song picks up. This is one of my favorite Wasner involved songs I have heard to date ( I kinda wish she was on every song). Although, if I have one criticism, I wish the song had more of a climax. I’m left wanting more by the end and it just seems to abruptly come to a close squandering a lot of potential. I feel like this song could explode and is unfortunately left hanging.

- “Open” Filler.. they could have just left this off. I guess they are using a small piece like this to give the album more of a mood, but I think it’s just uneccessary.

- The first half of the album wavers a bit and the second half is much much stronger as a whole.

- “Where I Found You” My absolute favorite song on this album. This is where Wlmers keyboard stylings really come to the forefront. The way Herring sings the chorus is perfect. These are pretty generic lyrics that would fall short in most other singers hands.

- “Give Us The Wind” Thank you Gutter Magazine for pointing out how this song sounds like it might jump into Dire Straits “Walk of Life”, now it’s hard for me to listen to it without thinking about that song.

- “Close to None” This song takes forever to get going, but is pretty great once it does.

- “Balance” The keyboards on this song are catchy as hell and I this is going to be the best song to hear live off this new album. It gets my award for Most Danceable.

- “Tybee Island” Ok we get it.. the album is about being on the water.

In comparison to In Evening Air, On the Water feels more full and cohesive. In Evening Air, although filled with great songs, was eclipsed by “Tin Man” whereas there isn’t one song on the new album that rises that much higher above the rest. This makes it, arguably, a more cohesive album. Although the album feels a bit more cohesive, there is also a lot about this album that feels a more whispy (watery?) and has less to hold onto. In conclusion, I wouldn’t say the album is perfect by any means, but I like the direction this band is going in… I just hope they keep moving in that direction. It’s hard to tell where Herring could go next with his distinct style without their catalog starting to sound like it repeats itself.

On a sidenote: Most reviews I read compare Herrings voice to Bowie or Tom Waits, but I really feel like it reminds me of Peter Gabriel (circa early prog-rock genesis the most). I don’t mean that he sounds like Peter Gabriel, but the way he sings and chooses the melody of the versus, as well as the dramatic feel, are very similar to what Gabriel was doing on the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway just brought into a more accessible format.

Stream the full album on Spinner.

Tags: , future islands , moss of aura