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This is a
remarkable debut. Though the band is called The Future Kings of
England, I got the impression to be catapulted back in time. There’s
a kind of radio announcement about a new king being installed and
then the path is cleared for some very intriguing music. The
listener is taken back to the London underground scene of the late
sixties. Indeed this band could have been playing in the same
obscure cafés and halls as Pink Floyd did in their early period.
“10:66” is a very
mature composition with a lot of drums and guitars and has this
typical underground psychedelic sound with a lot of cymbals and is
sometimes hurting the ears. The use of background voices is
something the band probably borrowed from the Floyd.
The compositions
are very dared, breaking of “Humber Doucy Lane” for instance is
immediate and makes you wonder what happens. Not for long though,
‘cause a few seconds later they take you on a floating trip right
into space again. And just when you think you’ve had enough, the
rhythm changes, as if you reach a resting place in space (including
the noises of playing children). The music almost disappears,
swallowed as it is by the noises and interrupting voices, before
coming back to its full strength, accompanied by synthesizers.
This album is
instrumental and doesn’t need any vocals. The atmospheric
soundscapes are just fine as they are. The influence of “Careful
with that Axe Eugene” is quite obvious in “Silent and invisible
Converts”, an all consuming composition that unites guitars, cymbals
and synthesizers. Negative point is the seemingly absence of any
variety in this song. It’s overwhelming, that’s true, but six
minutes before the theme changes is a bit too much. In a way, it
attacks the stability of the listener’s nervous system and therefore
it’s not suitable to listen to when you’re tense already.
“October Moth” is
much more peaceful, but the underground sound is omnipresent in this
song as well. In “Lilly Lockwood” the music is driven to the edge of
the acceptable, using noises and sounds that can also be heard in
Pink Floyd’s “Echoes”. This song’s atmosphere is even more present
in “Pigwhistle” in which suddenly, after 8 minutes, a guitar with an
almost common sound comes in. At this moment it would have been
perfect to start singing, but alas, the band hasn’t taken this
opportunity. The gentle guitar floats back into a real psychedelic
finale and brings the listener right back where he started, ready to
open his eyes and realize that the world is still there after all…
Another ‘radio announcement’ closes the circle.
Though it
may be hard to keep listening to it for almost an hour, this is a
good album. |
