Singles

Another great addition of a band I had no idea of before this… I really liked the songs and the lead singer’s somewhat unusual voice. The more I listen the more I really like!

You must see the lead singer pour every fiber of his being into each and every song while performing live to truly appreciate the greatness of this band. And to realize that he does this night after night while on tour is simply astonishing. If you thought there was no true passion left in indie rock, look no further. Absolutely deserves a place on the official list.

I’ve been a fan of this band for a while but hadn’t listened to this LP straight through. I’ve always enjoyed how unique their sound is, a heady mix of synth and prominent bass underscored by Herring’s passionate vocals. People here are going to complain about the latter, but the man just genuinely loves performing – saw them live last year and he clearly lives to sing and bare his heart to others. It’s emotionally honest and refreshing, some authentic artistry in an increasingly cynical and profit-driven music industry. Nobody is making the exuberant yet melancholy-tinged tracks like these guys, and I hope they continue for a good while. An absolute crime one of their LPs wasn’t on the original 1001, seems like it would be up Dimery’s alley.

Future Islands makes 1980s synth pop with an very expressive singer. When you listen to an individual song, it sounds pleasing ,not impressive or very distinctive from other synth pop. When listening to a full album each song is similar and it gets a bit boring.

I love this band so much. Discovered them in January of this year. Their newest album is my favorite but I will co-sign any opportunity to listen

Synth pop lives! Good synth pop! Yay!

Refreshing; ever so slightly offbeat but also poppy. Enjoyable enough but not ground breaking. I could see myself listening to this again sometime. Not a fan of the cover, though.

I thought this was perfectly enjoyable to listen to and actually wouldn't mind if we had more music in this vein in the current pop landscape. But the thing is, as someone who lived through synth-pop the first time around, it's hard not to be reminded of a ton of artists who were far better than this. Fave Songs: Spirit, Sun in the Morning, Seasons (Waiting on You), Light House

Singles starts well, very much emerges as bright and vibrant modern synthpop, then it gets dull pretty quickly. Doesn't come close to retaining the same energy as it starts with and finishes flat and disappointing. 2 on balance.

Great choice, I like this band and this is a great album. Seasons is such a great opener, even A Dream of You and Me leaves me wanting more.

Great record. Great record One of the few live shows I’ve taken in post-pandemic was Future Islands, since concert tickets are like a year’s wage now. They were touring for their sixth album As Long As You Are (2020), but I doubt I was alone in anticipating them bringing the house down with track 1 of Singles, "Seasons". 'Who starts an album like that? I just sat down!' I have a feeling it isn't #1 on my all-time Apple Music list because I mostly used Spotify during the pandemic; that's where the algorithm foisted this song on me. But as it turns out... they have other songs. And several of their best can be found on this 2014 release. Samuel Herring's tortured growl in "Fall From Grace" gives goosebumps every time. Apparently that's him *protecting* his voice, compared to how he sang in earlier releases. The lyrics can be both overly literary and incredibly direct, which is one of my favourite things about this band. Like you don't need the complete works of Roethke to get down with this album. At least I don't think so. I have yet to read Roethke (his works were a major influence on the band). Speaking of influence, Future Islands really primed me to like O.M.D., one of their musical forebears that I didn't pay much attention to until this album-a-day business. I now have copies of Architecture & Morality and Dazzle Ships right next to As Long As You Are. If there is a skippable song, I'd probably choose "Doves". :0 Just that there's a better song out there with the "baby don't hurt me" refrain. Kind of like fellow Baltimoreans Beach House, several of their albums would have worked here. In fact, one of the albums I was considering adding to this list was In Evening Air (2010), though my favourite F.I. has changed about three times since then. But in terms of, to paraphrase a YouTube comment, music to cry and do push ups to, you can't really go wrong with Singles. HL: "Seasons (Waiting On You)", "Spirit", "Sun in the Morning", "Light House", "Fall From Grace", "A Dream of You and Me"

Great example modern synth pop album.

"Synth pop" - enjoyed that, was something a bit different

It’s great, not all songs match up to the singles though

Fell in love with Future Islands at the time of their extraordinary second album released in 2010, *In Evening Air* -- which no one talks about now, unfortunately. Saw them play live back then (great show -- Samuel T. Herring has a magnetic aura onstage), and I was even lucky enough to interview them for a local radio (very nice fellows). Being good at what they do, Future Islands have dug the same type of groove since that time. Including with *Singles*, arguably their breakout album. The thing is, I find the songs in it slightly less striking and memorable than in *In Evening Air*, and the album as a whole feels less intense and impactful for me. Also, Future Islands' artistry has always questioned the line between indie elegance and hackneyed pop cheesiness, and for me they straddle that line a little too clearly on cuts such as "Doves" and "Back In The Tall Grass". The rest is pretty good, admittedly. But is it "essential"? Of course, my own personal history with the Baltimore band is influencing this assessment. Maybe indeed I'm a little picky with *Singles* because this record was not the one I started with. Some acts never really change their game -- they're happy doing what they do from one album to the next, only evolving very slowly -- and as a result, the first LP of theirs you listen to often end up being the one you have the fondest memories of. It's the same old story that can apply to many bands and artists. So under that light, I'll still give quite a good grade to this album. One thing though: please check out *In Evening Air* as well. Maybe I'm "objectively" right to prefer it, maybe I'm not. But I admit I would be very curious to know what other listeners who have never heard of Future Islands before think of this one. When you spin "Light House" in *Singles* and you know that earlier album, you can't help remembering "Tin Man", "Vireo's Eye", "Walking Through That Door", or "Long Flight". All of them better songs for me, and also catchier and more propulsive. So many thanks to the anonymous user who suggested Future Islands. Because it brought me to those gems again today. :) ---- 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 52 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 70 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 124 (including this one -- as you can already understand, it's gonna be another Future Islands album for me). --- Hey, Émile. Tu as déjà dû voir ma dernière réponse sous la review de *Young, Loud And Snotty* des Dead Boys ! J'essaie d'écrire la mienne bientôt

This was a very intriguing listen, i would definitely listen to it again and check out more from this artist. Cool find!

Pop, yet a bit mysterious. Dreamy, Fun album

Not bad Can never beat king of sweden tho 4

I didn't really get this one. I like synthpop, but this didn't really do it for me. Also, dude seems like he's doing a David Bowie impression a lot of the time 3/5

Weird, Post-pop music for the tragically hip. I kept getting essence of Neutral Milk Hotel for some reason. Not my bag.

Synthpop feels to me like something that resides firmly in the 80s and early 90s so I was dubious of this. But the vocal and percussive elements in this gave it a harder edge that seemed to plant it in its own century. I liked this, though I didn't manage to pull much out of the lyrics.

Finally the album with Pitchfork’s 2014 song of the year!!!! Neat synth-led pop

If never heard this group before. It's good! That dude's voice is a bit of a mismatch with the style? Maybe? I don't know. But I liked this.

A cool addition to my ever-growing collection of "Pretty generic but ultimately harmless synthpop with one very good single and some other stuff I've already forgotten about 5 minutes after listening". The pile's getting really big.

I keep picturing Orson Welles singing these songs.

I was introduced to this band by the oddest live performance of the opening track on the Letterman show back when the album dropped. The singer's bobbing marionette-style movement and Kermit-meets-Morrissey-meets-death-metal style of singing made for some interesting viewing. Rewatched that clip again today and it's just as odd as I remembered. This album? Just a collection of same-ish synth-pop songs.

It’d been a while since I heard this album. It was a pleasant trip down memory lane!

Haven't heard of these folks before! The initial 1001 list has gone a long way towards rehabilitating me towards new wave and synthpop, so my initial reaction was favorable. (Also, lol, they reject being called synthpop, instead insisting they're "post-wave". C'mon guys, you're a self-hating synthpop band. 😆 ) On my first play through, I started to get a bit tired of their schtick towards the end of the album. That didn't happen on the second play through, though - I guess the singer takes a moment to adjust to. Fave tracks - "Spirit" - like the quirkiness of this one! "A Song for Our Grandfathers" is a groove.

Comin' straight outta the 80s into your modern ears - I was not familiar with Future Islands, and this was an unexpected mostly-pleasant listen; liked it more than I'd thought I would. The singer's voice I'm not sold on - there are times where it's just so goddamn over the top (e.g. Light House) with an affected accent that I wonder if I actually hate this, but that might be me just being a dick and hating vocals in general (which a. I'm mostly not and b. I really do). Also the occasional/sporadic/shocking brief forays into cookie monster what the absolute why? However, I can also make the case that his voice kinda makes the band unique as well so I'll stay generous on this Monday morning and pretend he's actually from Kentish Town instead of North Carolina; grading on the best 6 or 7 songs which I'd definitely be good with listening to again. 7/10 4 stars. IMO: like it or not: should this have been in the original book [which should be called: 1001 Albums That Helped to Shape Music History]? yes.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Seasons, Spirit, Doves, Back in the tall grass, Like the moon

Different sound to what I expected

Synth-pop, new wave, indie pop. Ni fu ni fa.

TIL that bald actor fella from "Men" and the guy from Future Islands are different people.

Just sort of happens. Decent background music for working or studying, no more and no less. I just finished listening, and already don't remember any of the songs - for good or bad reasons. If big tentpole Hollywood movies are chewing gum for the eyes, this is the musical equivalent. Much better than no music, and less offensively bad than plenty of albums, but not one that will I will come back to. Also, that's a daft name for an album, but no so daft to lose it a star!

The single was there, and it's a keeper. But the rest of the album didn't follow through.

Another meh. Not what I needed on this stormy Friday.