Future This

The Big Pink is the UK-based electro-rocker duo consisting of Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell which gained some exposure as a result of their "Dominos" single from their 2009 debut album "A Brief History of Love", but in a sense that single's success was not indicative of the album's sound as a whole (for me anyway). Nevertheless, the Big Pink ran with it, and hasn't looked back. Now a good 2 years later we get their highly anticipated sophomore album.

"Future This" (10 tracks; 45 min.) starts off very impressively with a couple of can't-miss infectuous sing-alongs in "Stay Gold" (1st UK single), to which my first reaction was: surely it is no coincidence that the Olympic Games this year take place in London?, and "Hit the Ground (Superman), which samples Laurie Anderson's "O Superman" supposedly (as in: Anderson is credited as co-writer). I love "O Superman" from 30 years ago, but honestly I don't hear much on this song reminding me of it, other than the opening vocoder-riff and the repeated "O Superman" words. No matter, "Hit the Ground" is just as arena-sized and ready as "Stay Gold". Good tracks follow one another, so let's just stick to the major highlights: "1313" is my favorite track on the album, another huge song that screams "Stadium!". "Jump Music" is an all-out rocker. "Lose Your Mind" reminds me of European (specifically: French) disco-rock of 30 years ago. But truth be told, there are really no weak tracks on here.

In all, this is quite the album. In I had to compare it to anything, I'd say Passion Pitt's "Manners" of a few years ago. Yet again, there is a release early in the year that throws down the gauntlet for "album of the year" consideration (in 2011 it was Cut Copy's "Zonoscope" and in 2010 it was Charlotte Gainsbourg's "IRM"). I had the good fortune of seeing the Big Pink at the 2010 Coachella festival when they were *just* breaking bigger with "Dominos" but truth be told, the band has evolved so quickly that what you hear on "Future This" doesn't bear much resemblence to "Brief History", and that's just fine. "Future This" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I'm finding it hard to review this album and, obviously, this band. The first album sounds nothing like this one, and therefore I don't know what to make of the band at all. The first one was very a shoegaze-y mid-rock Brit-pop thing, and this new one is more the amalgamation of so many things from Electro to 80's pop to synth-rock to low-fidelity alternative that I'm at a loss. This album is very good, don't get me wrong; the experimentation of mixing genres in this very creative way really works here, but it almost makes them sound like 2 separate bands from one album to the next. Weird, is all about I can say, but it does sound good!

London-based musicians Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze have turned a home studio project into an international sensation seemingly overnight thanks to an ad campaign for Microsoft's Xbox 360 that featured The Big Pink's explosive first single "Dominos." Combined with a memorable live show and a critically acclaimed debut album, 2009's "A Brief History of Love," their popularity has steadily grown ever since.

Although The Big Pink released a mix CD entitled "Tapes" in 2010, "Future This" is the duo's second full album of original material. Like their debut, "Future This" is produced by Paul Epworth who has recently worked with the likes of Adele and Florence & the Machine among many other reputable artists.

His contribution to the record is once again unmistakable, but the album is clearly designed to build off of the band's past successes.

On "A Brief History of Love," "Dominos" was a clear stand-out single. Tracks like "Velvet" and "Too Young To Love" were still extremely enjoyable, but nothing compared to the soaring vocals of the chorus repeated on "Dominos." "Future This" utilizes the massive success of "Dominos" by applying aspects of its memorable formula throughout the album's 10 tracks.

"Future This" opens with "Stay Gold," a track that seems to pull equally from "Dominos" and MGMT's breakout single "Time to Pretend."

This time, the soaring vocals from the chorus of "Dominos" are present for the entire song and it works like a charm. "Stay Gold" is an almost guaranteed hit single around the world.

"Stay Gold" is followed by "Hit the Ground (Superman)" which uses an almost identical vocal, complete with a memorable sing-along chorus. Combined, The Big Pink offers up one of the most powerful one-two punch album openings in many years. However, the drive for hit singles eventually begins to remove much of the variety that made "A Brief History of Love" a unique listening experience.

Although they may oversaturate the ears with indie anthem melodies, The Big Pink's strongest quality on their debut album was their beat making ability and on "Future This," they get even better.

"Give It Up" has a west coast hip hop quality to it that will likely turn the heads of many rappers looking for a high-quality sample. There are even a few faster-paced numbers like "Jump Music" and "Lose Your Mind" that could make their way into the club scene without the need for a remix.
With "Future This," The Big Pink has proven they are much more than a one-hit wonder and have released their most enjoyable record to date. However, the question of where they can go from here begs to be asked.

They have found their winning sound, but bands eventually need to evolve to survive.

In the meantime, don't be surprised if The Big Pink begins showing up in commercials throughout the year at a rate similar to what The Black Keys or Foster the People did in 2011.

Track Suggestion: "Stay Gold"

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews  3.8 out of 5 stars