The Futureheads: The Chaos

The Futureheads: The Chaos
In the middle of last decade, there was this great influx of bands that were heavily inspired by XTC. Bands like Actic Monkeys have kept the sound alive and shown the longevity in playing music with that type of manic energy. Other bands like Hot Hot Heat have virtually dropped off the radar after achieving initial success. The Futureheads are somewhere in between; while they have achieved incredible success in their native UK, they have never parlayed that into anything more than a cult following in the states. On their fourth album, The Chaos the band delivers more of the same hoping for a different result.
Albert Einstein said “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” but for The Futureheads doing the same thing over again seems like a decent plan. Their manic energy and catchy song writing has to eventually catch on in the US. The Chaos’ first single “Heartbeat Song” seems to be the most immediately accessible song the band has ever written. The track is based around an obvious pop punk guitar riff which is something a little different from the Futureheads. Barry Hyde delivers the Futureheads signature syncopated vocals, aping Andy Partridge with every yelp. The track peaked at number one on the UK Indie Chart and number 34 on the UK Singles Chart but has barely made a dent in the US.
The album is full of single-worthy tracks. My personal favorite is the album’s second track “Struck Dumb”. The song’s guitars remind me of an Interpol tune and the big arena-rock sized chorus really makes the song sound anthematic. Although the song would surely garner some comparisons to early Arctic Monkey works (which is something the band probably wants to stay away from), it would make a hell of a single.
Overall, from beginning to end The Chaos is one of the most fun albums I have had the pleasure of listening to recently. The energy is impeccable and nearly every song has the potential to be a single.
Rating: 9.4/10
MP3: The Futureheads “Struck Dumb”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!