Singles

I thought this band was a one hit wonder. It starts with said hit which makes the album seem promising, but after a few songs it develops into pretty forgettable synthpop, with a mild hint of post punk/new wave. It's a shame because the good songs on here are really good, but the majority of the album feels like filler. Was that some fucking black metal/blackgaze in one of the tracks? That brought my attention back to the album. Should it be on the main list: No Top 3 songs: Seasons (Waiting on You), Spirit, Fall From Grace

Herring has an unusual voice, but it works for me. I enjoyed this a great deal, just crosses into a five star for me.

“What’s your favourite album by The Beatles?” “Um, The Best of The Beatles?!”

Favourite songs: Seasons (Waiting for You), Spirit, A Song for Our Grandfathers, A Dream of You and Me, Light House, Sun in the Morning, Doves, Fall From Grace Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Back in the Tall Grass 5/5

We slowly fall from grace We slowly fade away . . . Amazing!

This really brings me back to the time period right around the end of my time at college. Very melancholic vibes at points while still being optimistic for the future. It's very catchy and his unique voice really complements the instrumentals.

Had a very pleasant listen to. Strong music without being too in your face

Seasons is an all time banger

Third indie-synth album I got in a row. It's not bad, but I don't feel any emotional connection with this.

I loved the production on this project, but couldn't stand the vocals starting about halfway through. They aren't annoying after one or two songs, but a whole album will start to get on my nerves. Maybe just the mood I'm in. Other than that, a very solid album and no other complaints. 4/5

Unfamiliar with this band aside from just recognizing the name. I ended up listening to this 3 times, it just kind of fit the vibe for the work day. Enjoyable enough for sure.

Aldrig hört förut men det här gillar jag. Finns knappt en dålig låt.

Interesting album. It starts promising, falls into the bland indie-rock void, and ends with a burst of energy and dark atmosphere that makes it interesting again. I'm pleased with this user pick, even though it didn't become a favorite to me, it was a good discovery after so many albums.

Nice

Singles is as the title says - a great collection of singles, but the constant intensity of each song does not lend to the best album flow.

Great stuff. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

Future Islands took the best part of the 80s and made it work with their modern style. Seasons is easily their best song and this is probably their best album too. The rest of the album is good but that first song is truly top notch. It’s good and easily something you can replay. They don’t over do the synth sound and the singer has a solid sound. 7.2/10

Good record.

this sounded like an album that would be someone’s favorite. it wasn’t my favorite but it was good. but it’s someone on here’s favorite. and that’s why i’m so excited for this portion of the project. because someone out there has deep feelings for this music. and they wanted to share it with others. and i got to experience it because of their love. and it was pretty good too!! probably low 4. i much prefer this kind of mid 2010s indie rock to the modern 2020s stuff going crazy right now

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"

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

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 not so daft as to lose it a star!

Loved their performance on Letterman. Great stuff!

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

Average synth pop tunes. Not a huge fan of the vocalist, although he had some great moments.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

I keep picturing Orson Welles singing these songs.

Not bad Can never beat king of sweden tho 4

Pop, yet a bit mysterious. Dreamy, Fun album

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!

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Great example modern synth pop album.

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

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!

Different sound to what I expected

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.

Synth pop lives! Good synth pop! Yay!

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.

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

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.

Lead vocalist sounds extremely familiar -- initially thought it was from a feature with Gorillaz, but was able to finally place it as Time Moves Slow by BBNG. I like that song, but I actually don't particularly love his style for a full length. This album has its moments, to be sure. I really enjoy A Song for Our Grandfathers and Seasons is a fine opener. But something about this just doesn't fully connect for me. Not bad, but I doubt I'll be back. Very mid 3.

This dude has one of the most unique voices I've ever heard. Not even necessarily sure I like it, but it sure is different.

For alternative/indie, Singles wasn’t bad. But it was boring and simply missed the mark on catchy hooks. I liked the new wave aspect, and sometimes I was reminded of The Weeknd’s After Hours. I didn’t vibe with the vocals most of the time but then Future Islands was channeling Leonard cohen in “Fall from Grace”? Weird, but I didn’t hate it.

I've heard a lot of new wave-inspired modern music, but this may be one of the heavier leaning albums that I've heard; it takes new wave and modernizes it for today. That is to say, this is pretty much how I think "pure" new wave music would sound in the 2010s and beyond. The album title is kind of a funny one, too: "Singles", as if this is a compilation of greatest hits or something. In reality, it seems to be a set of individually written songs that were smashed together to make an album of disconnected ideas and motifs, rather than a strict adherence to any cohesive album theme. Another noteworthy thing on this album is the vocalist. He may be the least new wave thing about this album. Often, new wave bands are known for their somewhat monotonous, single emotion vocalists. But Future Islands' vocalist has quite a dynamic, emotive singing style and overall unique voice that defies expectation and thereby adds an element to the music here. Time and time again throughout this album, he uses his voice as another tool to state and reaffirm the band's one-of-a-kind sound. I contemplated whether to give this album a 3 or 4, as neither felt quite right. Ultimately, I decided to fall on the side of a 4 if for no other reason than the uniqueness of the band; there hasn't been anything else quite like this on the list. A fun discovery!

Very synthpop, three stars I guess. The singer really goes for it, which I appreciated. Without him it would have dipped to two stars.

I liked this, I think largely because of the breezy delivery of the lead vocalist. The instrumentation has a bit of a throwback feel to it as well.

funky and fun so far. let's see how it progresses (at back in the tall grass currently). tentative 4.

Liked the first couple of tracks - then realised the rest of the album sounded exactly the same...

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

Another good record. Thanks for showing me!

Pretty chill album but nothing special imo

The impression on had on seeing these guys at a festival 10 or 12 years ago is reinforced listening to this mostly enjoyable record: the singer is great (bold, Tom Jones-esque at times, assertively different) – the strength of the act no doubt – but one wonders if he'd be better served in a more traditional (ie, less synthy) configuration (ie, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards) (though not the faux-metal screaming-singing on the one cut here). Beyond right-timing/right-placing with the new wave revival, they certainly stick to their guns and it mostly works, the odd combo of synth-pop and soul-cabaret vocals, though one has always thought a little experimentation/expansion woulda served them well, a little variation from the direct (and borderline repetitious) line of attack on nearly every song. The bass playing is strong throughout, provides the substance to keep this from being excessively – or exclusively – sheeny. "Seasons" was/is a great song though one didn't realize just how much love it got in 2014. Anyway, solid + choice – one would take over FKA Twigs over very few records from '14. Thanks recommender, for the reason to go deep dive/career retrospective.

Didn't enjoy this one at all, cut it short and moved to something else. Vocally and musically dull. Sorry.

Man, Seasons is such a good song. Nice album too!

Punches above its weight on the strength of foregrounding a singer with a really distinctive voice

One of my dad's favorites for some odd ball reason. There was something in Seasons (Waiting On You) that just got to him. Great album, though maybe not my favorite of that era. Definitely a foreshadowing of how the future synth sounds would take over the pop scene.

I’ve tried a few times to get into this band and just can’t seem to do it. There’s very few moments that are truly interesting or that catch my ear. It’s like very quality background music. 4/10

Pop un tanto insustancial. Canciones un tanto parecidas. Ambientada con sintetizadores un tanto simplones, pero que hace que suenen bien. Lo veo como un disco optimista y, aunque no destaque especialmente, se queda con una buena nota media.

I didn't dislike this but it's so bland and uninventive. Maybe I needed to be there?

I was just bored, in all honestly. Like alright some of it was okay to work along to, I’m not offended by this choice, but just meh.

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

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