|
| 
‘The Chaos’, a title all too fitting, is the fourth album from post-punk revival British band The Futureheads. The album is the second the band have released on their own label, Nul Records, and more or less gives us the expected Futureheads sound that defines and distinguishes the band amongst others, marked by their use of mixed backing vocals, humorous yet thought provocative lyrics and their penchant for experimenting with their sound.
The new album has already been available on the internet more than a month than its planned released date, with the song ‘Struck Dumb’ having been released for free download back in November last year, yet in the wake of ‘The Chaos’s release there was a certain amount of curiosity in what direction this album would go in. The band themselves thought it would have a ‘complicated’ sound, which is a not-far-from-the-truth remark: The album is a mix of pop-punk sounds reflecting the roots of the Futureheads inspiration yet excelling other releases of the genre; a compelling mix of tracks that feel familiar yet work together to be something totally different.
The record is certainly full of energy, barely containing a dull moment, with nearly every track being a continuous barrage of upbeat guitar accompanied by a beat that bounces alongside Hyde’s vocals, which are masterfully layered with the backing vocals of the rest of the band. Every aspect of the music rebounds off each other and helps to make it an overall strong experience. The entire album feels as if it could be the bulk of a DJ’s playlist at an indie club; the irresistible desire to get up and move to the music is something both enticing and rare, being something that the Futureheads have always tried to get across in their songs but have now thankfully perfected.
The album layout is intriguing: the title track starting things off as the perfect poster song for what to expect, with a constantly flowing pitch that at several points decreases alongside a vocal countdown, overall staying true to the songs name. The next few tracks are a collection of considerably short songs, followed by more regular length songs, ending with a six minute finale (actually comprised of two songs). Aside from the aforementioned final song, the first few are indeed the more stand out additions, and if it was the bands intention for these songs not to outstay their welcome, than they certainly accomplished that wish.
When compared to earlier work of the band however this album does become a bit hit and miss. The charm and quirkiness of their debut release, which somehow managed to make every song feel unique and well orchestrated, is a little though not entirely lost in these tracks, with only the occasional moment being one you’re likely to remember. The album suffers from being far too scattered and samey. As a whole it works but the individual tracks don’t always hold up on their own, something that in their earlier work was always accomplished. The mesh of guitars do indeed sound ‘chaotic’, but it doesn’t feel like the outcome the band should’ve hoped for, with some songs having a structure that feels absent and a rhythm that feels all over the place – not in a way that you would feel was intentional.
The music does feel as if it has evolved though, with some songs having a remarkably darker punk sound, and whilst that familiar Futureheads feeling emanates throughout there are noticeable instances of the band pushing in a new direction; the song ‘Sun goes down’ being a particular standout of the band trying to break into new territory, being a little less upbeat and feeling a little toned down in its quirkiness; if anything it’s the closest the album comes to conforming, and luckily it still sounds great.
Little moments in certain songs contain snippets of the bands experimentation, such as the short but noticeable use of electronic sound at the end of ‘Dart in the Map’ or the chilled solo guitar rift used numerous times in ‘The Baron’.
The lyrics compliment the music well, with the song ‘The Connector’ being a key example, with a guitar rift that feels like it’s constantly spiralling and repeating as it progresses and words describing a constantly moving electrical current; all leading to a sustained high note by all the vocals of the band members; a sound which evokes a feeling of awkward laughter that can barely be described, and that could only be accomplished by such an offbeat band.
The writing as usual is uplifting and layered with humorous remarks, such as in ‘This is the life’ which begins with: “This is the life, sit back and laugh it up and it’s great to see a smile on your miserable face”, but it also carries a constant theme of enjoying yourself over getting brought down by your own morose worries, rather encouraging the listener to have a positive outlook without being too introspective, like in ‘Dumb struck’s chorus in which negativity is being said to ruin sleep and controls ones dreams. It definitely is not an album you can feel depressed listening to, and clearly it doesn’t want you to be. As mentioned, occasionally the album does take itself seriously, but it doesn’t detract from the fun-loving feeling. If it had to be described metaphorically, it’s that person who constantly nudges a glum friend with their elbow till a smile slowly forms on their face.
The album thankfully ends on a high note; the last song ‘Jupiter’ beginning with a prolonged chorus of humming that feels both exceedingly epic and ridiculous before jumping into a collection of uplifting, somewhat encouraging lyrics that assure us of our strength as an emotionally independent and unique individual, with a guitar that almost transcends its place on the ground and floats upwards, asking you to join with it. But what makes it perhaps the perfect end to the album is the short hidden track 45 seconds after the music dies down, which undoubtedly is the culmination of The Futurehead’s unique vocal sound: a completely instrumentally devoid a cappella tune that is indescribable in its oddity. Only The Futureheads could have come up with something so wonderfully weird.
‘The Chaos’ is a refreshingly familiar piece of work from the Sunderland band. Whilst at times it indulges too much in its desire to be erratic and doesn’t present any songs that come close to being as memorable as previous Futurehead anthems like ‘Robot’ or ‘Decent Days and Nights’ it makes for an uplifting and energetic listening and shows the band evolving in certain aspects without the loss of what makes their music great.
Graham Ashton, Native Alternative (Sat 8pm)
