Baltimore’s Future Islands are the second band in recent memory who deserved so much more attention than I gave them the first go around. And if it wasn’t for the fact that I happen to know an ex-Maryland native with fantastic taste in music, that might never have changed. Well, thank goodness for friends, because now you couldn’t pry their melodrama-prone post-punk from my cold, dead hands, try as you might! In fact, the more cold and dead your hands are, the more you’re probably going to love these guys.
The anthemic Vireo’s Eye served as an excellent re-introduction to the work of this trio (the Dragon’s Lair II themed music video didn’t hurt much, either), but at the moment, it’s the dark and dingy Tin Man that’s taking the cake. I mean, how often do you hear a deeply meditative throwback to the days of New Order that kicks off with a bit of the old steel drums? And if the Weekend at Bernie’s by way of The Lost Boys backdrop didn’t already have your ears standing at attention, vocalist Sam Herring’s curious warble certainly would. Herring sounds like he exists on a steady diet of whiskey and gravel, and his preternatural gift for theatrics quickly becomes the unmistakable centerpiece for the band’s already distinctive sound, as you can hear for yourself below. Though, considering how late I am to this particular party, chances are you already have.
This definitely makes up for the sad daily sound-less day yesterday
Sorry about that one, I was hoping no one would notice! Turns out that the weekend’s drunken misadventures were a little bit harder on my Sunday than I had planned, so Monday’s Daily Sound got lost in the shuffle. I’m just glad Future Islands are talented enough to make up the difference.
They were really great live! Sam Herring is a wild man and his voice has been haunting my dreams (I mean that in the least creepy way possible)
Haha, well I even notice when they are up later than usually but that’s because I am in the future;) That’s going to change soon though… and maybe I’ll get to be part of the “drunken misadventures” of future weekends and therefore not notice missing daily sounds anymore… who knows