Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Best Albums Of 2008 #9


The Futureheads-This Is Not The World

Sunderland’s The Futureheads rode a post-punk revival in the early aughts to success in the UK and a mild following in the US. Following the abysmal sales of their last record, 2006’s criminally underrated News & Tributes, the band started their own label to distribute their third album, This Is Not The World. Stylistically, This Is Not The World isn’t a huge departure from the band’s previous albums. These are still anthemic punk songs with soaring harmonies and catchy hooks that hearken back to Gang Of Four and The Fall.

The difference this time around is that there seems to be an ease in the songwriting that wasn’t present before. This Is Not The World sounds like an album entirely comprised of singles, like an instant greatest hits collection. It’s easy to get into and easier to love, even if there doesn’t appear to be any new ground covered. “Radio Heart” should have been a hit single, had enough people heard it and “Hard To Bear” takes a place in my book as one of the best songs about disappointment ever written.

“The Beginning Of The Twist”

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