Since 2006, Future Islands have been quietly churning out amazing album after amazing album while only garnering a relative modicum of attention in the music world. I only heard about them after a girlfriend dragged me to a sparsely-attended Halloween show in 2011. Future Islands played their hearts out to about 40 of us that night, and I immediately became a convert to their sound, pouring over their back catalogue while the band soldiered on through virtually endless touring. However, with the release of "Singles," the Baltimore collective remains a hidden treasure no longer. Seemingly every blog, website and magazine is simultaneously buzzing over Future Islands and their new record. The band find themselves topping festival bills and selling out entire tours in the blink of an eye. Tickets to their shows are scalped for up to hundreds of dollars. They truly are THE band of the moment right now. The song "Seasons" has been impossible to escape this year, but who would ever want to run from such a perfect wedge of synthpop? It isn't just "Seasons" that is masterfully composed, either. From beginning to end, there isn't a weak track here. "Singles" is an appropriate title for an album on which almost every track could conceivably be released as, you guessed it, a single. From the shimmering, soulful goodness of "Sun In The Morning" to the candle-in-the-darkness ray of hope that is "Light House," Future Islands have released their most solid outing yet in an already flawless discography. Samuel Herring's vocals are in top form here, while William Cashion and Gerrit Welmers provide a captivating, evolving backdrop of synths and driving basslines. If you can find and afford a ticket to one of their live performances, I cannot stress enough that you owe it to yourself to see this band live. I'll even go out on a limb and say it now: this is the album of the year. Seven full months in and there's nothing I've heard that even touches this record. I listen to and love a lot of music, but Future Islands have truly captured my heart with this release. Highest possible recommendation.
FUTURE ISLANDS - "SINGLES"
4AD Records 2014
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