Future Islands
Singles

Ah.......the wonderful eighties! Sometimes, musically, they come back to leave a bitter taste, to sterilely re-propose "items" that are used and overused, sometimes to leave the listener incredibly amazed, stunned by such an ability to cleverly remix a past made of synthesizers and fake drums, dead and buried for almost thirty years. The '80s "Sometimes They Come Back", as Stephen King wrote in his old book; this time no, they are alive and kicking and in splendid form.

You can't help but be shocked, for better or worse, by the first listen of "Singles", the fourth release by the Baltimore trio "Future Islands". Future islands? A strange name, there's really little future in sight, the group is firmly anchored in the bay of the most classic fusion between synth-pop and 80s new-wave. But how is it possible in 2014 to be struck by such an old and worn-out proposal? How is it possible to break into the world of the '80s revival? What sense can it make, in 2014, to listen to such old and worn-out music? 

The album thrilled me. The ten tracks encapsulate all the positive characteristics of '80s music: danceable rhythms, high-charting pop hits, throbbing underground basslines, melodramatic romanticism, great vocal performances. And it's on the voice of Samuel T. Herring, powerful and expressive, that the driving force of the new album's "big singles" is based. His voice is the strong point and the common thread of their offering, a voice that a myriad of post-metal bands would pay gold to have. Listen to believe the animalistic grunt that unexpectedly comes out of his throat in the marvelous "Fall From Grace".

An album that goes down like a glass of water or, better, like an ice-cold beer in the Sahara desert, perfect for those who are still enchanted to listen to the "mythical" pieces of the '80s (Duran Duran, Ultravox, Spandau Ballet, Nik Kershaw, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, early Depeche, Talk Talk, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and the like), for those who want to rethink the false belief that all synth-pop is only steaming crap to stay away from, for those who love the revival. An album to absolutely avoid for those who can't stand the "plastic and fakery" of the 80s keyboards, for the "hard and pure" rock, indie or metal fundamentalists, for those who hate nostalgia for lost times.

Perfect album for the summer season (the cover is emblematic!) that is opening (so to speak!), for those who want to dive back into a past fortunately passed, for those who want to spend forty minutes in absolute lightness, in a synthetic happiness made of memories now burned.