The Futureheads

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The Futureheads

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In the music scene today, there may be no band that sounds like it's having more fun than the Futureheads. Their bouncy dancepunk tunes are catchy, gritty-edged, danceable -- and above all, the guys sound like they're having a absolutely glorious time.

A pal of mine went to a Futureheads concert and confided that the crowd didn't move at all. That's hard to imagine -- after a mild buildup of vocal harmonies and guitar riffs, the catchiness kicks in with the rapid-fire percussion. "And I won't say what if it's true/Le garage (le garage-RAGE!)" the guys shout in the opener.

Things don't die down after that, from the Devo-esque "Robot" to the heavy-guitar, dadaesque "Man Ray." Not that everything is all the same -- the Futureheads are one of the few rock bands who don't rely on the same riffs and beats to achieve catchiness. They manage different kinds of catchiness -- herky-jerky, relentless, fragmented and poppy.

The only exception is "Danger of the Water," a song that is almost a capella, with Barry Hynde solemnly singing, as his bandmates chant "do do, do do" in the background. Okay, there's a tiny keyboard melody, but it's almost indiscernable -- and it's surprisingly entrancing when the song builds up to a tense climax ("Danger... water/Danger... water!"), followed by a yell from Hynde. Only imagine what happens next.

Despite comparisons to Franz Ferdinand, the Futureheads smack more of Devo-and-XTX-meets-the-Ramones. The jangly guitars, solid drums and bass are all wonderfully assured, but the vocal harmonies are the really good stuff. Hynde does most of the singing, but the other guys weave in and out without a single sonic burp.

Sure, it's not perfect. But the energy and fun of the Futureheads' debut can't be denied. A solid, fun, catchy dancepunk album.

This overly-touted next-big-thing isn't quite ALL that, but in such a blech-year-in-new-music (where the Fiery Furnaces are up there too, let's recall) it's not hard to see where all the hype is coming from. They just don't have much competition.

The Futureheads have gone the way of the Hives. They have updated the short sharp n' snippy numbers of the great Brit-punk bands of the 70s (Wire, Gang of Four, the Jam, The Clash) with a huge emphasis on the latter (I hope Strummer's estate asks for royalties on this one) to create modern, glistening postpunk. Anxious, cutting guitarwork and some qwerky a-capella mixed in, rounds out their sound.

The results here are pretty good for a first go. They have attained anthemic near-brilliance with three songs ("Carnival Kids", "Decent Days and Nights", and "Robot"), include a small slew of OK songs ("Le Garage", that "Hounds" Kate Bush cover) and then include an arsenal of songs that are just plain boring, uninspired, and overly similar in sound. And that's pretty much it.

They aren't quite as accomplished as parallel-universe colleagues Franz Ferdinand and the Killers (which I also think aren't quite in the genius zipcode) because they are a bit more self-conscious perhaps, less willing to experiment a bit, throw in some glam, some irony, but I have a feeling that if the Futureheads do indeed have a future, we'll hear more on a second album someday.