Futureheads
This is Not The World (nul)
release: June 3, 2008
style: post-post-punk dance rock
similar: Maximo Park, The Rakes
[rating: ****] Contained adeptly in its own rock 'n roll cube, This is Not the World confirms that the Futureheads are for real. the third album from the British band is astoundingly crisp. Self-released and produced by the one and only Youth, This is Not owes heavily to the Clash (minus the reggae influence). The 40 minutes have the energy of a young band from the early 1980s, fully charged and electrified. The lyrics have urgency to coincide: "it's time to wake up/it's time to change/ let's get it started/i feel like there's so much to rearrange, come on!" "Walking Backwards" just makes sense. "Radio Heart" is cool because it has a fade-out. So much more, from "Sale of the Century" to "See What You Want" has an invigoration that is missing from many of the group's competitors. -Kenyon