In late 2004, The Futureheads punctured the mope-heavy indie rock bubble with the delivery of their hyperactive post-punk debut album. The harmony laden, adrenaline fueled romp immediately caught my attention and remained in my CD player well into the next year. Now, it appears that the cycle has started anew with the release of the bands sophomore effort, News and Tributes.
This time around, The Futureheads have decided to slow things down a bit. The frantic speed and brevity of the first record have been replaced by a more seasoned and mature direction. The band confidently holds back and the music is allowed some much needed breathing room. The result is a collection of songs in which the biggest departures are actually the most pleasing. The title track is the greatest example of how the slower tempo accentuates the band's already top-notch vocal harmonies. In fact, the vocal work on "Thursday" is so rich that someone could have easily convinced me that it was an unreleased track from the heyday of The Beach Boys.
Of course, there are still some tracks that are reminiscent of the sound that I initially fell in love with. "Cope" and "Favors for Favors", both driven by the bands already established energy and technical prowess, are essential in offsetting the more restrained aspects of News and Tributes. Perhaps the most exhilarating track on the album is "The Return of the Berserker", which continuously builds into a collage of frenzied guitars and drums before abruptly screeching to a halt.
The most attractive feature of News and Tributes is that it exhibits a different yet equally compelling side of The Futureheads. One of my biggest fears as a music fanatic is the possibility of being utterly disappointed by a second album that follows an amazing first. Fortunately, The Futureheads have briefly pacified this fear by effectively avoiding the dreaded "sophomore slump."
