Future Islands - On The Water (Thrill Jockey, 2011)

Future Islands

On The Water

Thrill Jockey

2011

Rating: 7.5 New Balance sneakers out of 10

It didn't seem to take too long for Future Islands to go from a relatively obscure local band to filling up pretty big clubs every night.  Turns out you can still build a buzz and a larger fan base with constant touring and releasing one good record after another.  

Last year's "In Evening Air" was indisputably my favorite album on the year, so it only seems natural that any follow-up by the band would have to be a letdown.  And, technically, this album fits that description, but that isn't to say it isn't still a damn good record.  There may be no single song as powerful as "Tin Man" here, but "Before The Bridge" and "Give Us The Wind" and "Balance" are all scorchers, and there ain't a bad track in the set.  Perhaps it comes from some of the band members growing up on the coast, but I get a heavy "sea side" vibe from this record.  And I'm not talking summertime fun-in-the-sun beach antics...more like off-season, when it's cold and dreary and you have the pier and everything else to yourself.  Not sure that makes sense, but that's the vibe I'm getting.  And it's a great vibe to get sometimes.  

As a side note, this record makes a great companion when driving through the sparsely populated stretch of I-95 between Rocky Mount and Richmond on a brisk fall day.