Even thought the title »Singles« suggests an early greatest-hits-record, the fourth album by the synth-poppers Future Islands is nothing of that kind. Instead – this much in advance – it might be the best comeback ever, without even being one. Three years after their last diving session by the name of »On The Water« the trio from Baltimore has returned: Surprisingly grown in number, with unusually clean compositions within the higher bpm-numbers, an area, in which Chris Coady, producer of Beach House and Grizzly Bear, managed to worm quixotic pop-crystals out of the new-wave romantics. No matter if it’s actual 80s-keyboard-pathos like in »Seasons Waiting On You« or somnabulistic uptempo-tronic as shown in »Doves« – instead of wallowing in misery, it’s time to dance away any kind of world-weariness and heartache! The drum-machine is rolling, the synthesizers are cheering on top of their lungs, and right in the middle, Samuel T. Herring’s vocals tear up hearts and turn them into flickering rays of hope at the end of the horizon of your own imagination: »We were built for making love and not for war/ I’m screaming fire! fire!«. Still heavy-hearted and emotionally unstable, the man with the most sentiment-loaded voice of this world’s synth-tearjerkers steps much more optimistic towards the depths of his demons. It’s basically a blue-eyed-soul-version of Bruce Springsteen, once again keeping the track-list together by nothing but his voice. And even though tracks like »A Song For Our Grandfathers« is way too close to the borders of kitsch, you have to admit that grandparents are the coolest family members of all. And that »Singles« was made for lonely walks through rainy cities, anyway. Or rather: lonely dances.
Singles
