The Singles Jukebox

The Singles Jukebox: Covering songs before they become memes since 2011…

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[5.38]

Katherine St Asaph: Seasons change, instrumental palettes change, but bad indie rock vocalists still stay exactly the same. When you start going Kroeger, that shouldn’t be an improvement.
[4]

David Sheffieck: I kinda dig the production and hook here, but the affected Elton John-isms are too distracting to even begin to see past. Future Islands have been around for a while; if the rest of the band really care, why haven’t they had an intervention to tell the vocalist he’s embarrassing himself?
[4]

Alfred Soto: A couple weeks after Samuel T. Herring’s quasi-triumph on “Late Night with David Letterman” reminded everyone of the drunk queen at gay karaoke doing “Mr. Brightside,” we get the studio version — as passionate and silly as I expected, with Herring assuming vocal contortions I haven’t heard since the days of Roland Gift. The melody and arrangement are 1978 Barry Manilow.
[7]

Patrick St. Michel: Taps foot along to opening beat, hears opening lines and moves head a bit, pounds chest with closed left fist come the chorus as if to say “this is good, this is good!” “People change/but you know some people never do,” hits chest harder, makes scrunched up face like tears are about to flow. Keeps nodding to song, but also glances at watch, as Future Islands are just kind of repeating themselves without any pay off at this point. Clicks related-link to David Letterman performance on side, and makes shocked, over-the-top face at it, shocked at how much stronger it seems to be fine. Still musters a vigorous head nod, though, dramatically points hand at song. This, this song will do.
[7]

Cédric Le Merrer: No, Future Islands singers, the changing of seasons is not a good metaphor for your passive agressive assholery. Seasons have no choice in what happens to them. They have no regret, either. What they have, however, is blundering incompetents butchering them and then calling it the New Normal because like you, they won’t take responsability for their destiny. I kinda like how the band tries for epic without ever letting go enough to really get there. It really illustrates well the clunkiness of the metaphor. Unfortunately, I don’t think Future Islands are self conscious enough to be acknowledging their own douchebaggery.
[3]

Brad Shoup: He’s got a great morning-after voice, an Eltonian kind of imparted wisdom. I thought the synths were doing the work, but they flash after he inflects. If our grown men have abdicated this kind of synthrock, this will work as a substitute.
[7]

Megan Harrington: I like this song fine, but this whole Springsteen with synthesizers thing — it’s not blowing my mind anymore. I like the Killers’ approach much better (because their scale is so grand), and Springsteen himself used synthesizers. I also vehemently disagree with this description used as praise because the implication is that synthpop is still illegitimate and it’s only in a rock context that the synthesizer is an authentic instrument. None of this is Future Islands’ fault, and nothing says dramatic, hopeless love like a few well-placed synth notes. Add a few dadly dance moves and you’ve wandered backwards into a meme. Good for them. 
[7]

Mallory O’Donnell: Future Islands or Archipelagos of the Past? You decide.
[4]