The idea of a ‘concept album’ can often send a shiver down the spine of a music fan. It hints of pretension, and trying to turn pop music into something it isn’t meant to be. Here, Future Islands have succeeded in creating a sprawling musical work that invokes the sea throughout. However, what exactly the ‘concept’ is, beyond the allegorical sea, is left to the listener to decide.
One thing that was immediately striking about Future Islands’ debut effort In The Evening Air was the gruff vocal technique used by frontman Samuel Herring. Though always unique, it was occasionally obstructing  and thankfully it seems that he has decided to tone it down a bit for this sophomore attempt. Sometimes. One of the main flaws of this album lies in the inconsistency of sounds, most notably in the vocals and bass. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with singing differently on a different song, Herring’s voice varies massively between his old ‘pirate’ self (in the opening title track) and Stewie from Family Guy in the intro and outro of ‘Give Us the Wind’ (or ‘give us the hWhind’, as he sings it). Given that this album relies on the creation of a visceral and immersive experience, it does generate something of a conflict in associating the songs with one another, and prevents the album from coming together as it otherwise might have. That said, the dense web of synths, effects, and consistent lo-fi production throughout help to counteract the variety caused by Herring, and the sudden thumping, overdubbed bass in the album’s final track ‘Grease’ is one of the highlights of the disc.
Trying to pinpoint the influences at work here is quite a task. Invariably associated with the Baltimore ‘indie’ scene, due in no small part due to their repetitive and narcotically-infused music videos, it would be something of an insult to simply give Future Islands this label. Using a musical language taken from the 80s, most obviously The Cure in ‘Balance’, and a modern sensibility of creating epic sounds from lo-fi means, they create a hypnotic effect similar to the music of the late, trippy 60s, where four minutes seems to last forever. ‘Before the Bridge’, the album’s single, attempts to cocoon the concept of timelessness that is created by this journey across the sea, present throughout the album.
The real question with this album lies in who it is written for. Future Islands have created something unique, definitely, but that will take a lot of time and patience on the part of the listener to appreciate to its fullest, something which may demand too much from those used to synthpop in its more common form. The attempts of so many bands to be ‘epic’ at every available opportunity has become something of a pandemic in modern music, leaving many insincere explosions which have little lasting effect. Like the crest of a wave on the sea, this album moves in a much more forceful way, and at a markedly slower pace. Taking the time to engage with it properly, though, creates a lasting, affecting, and meaningful impression, and immerses you in this ocean of sound.
