I really want to love The Big Pink more then i actually do.Their first album A Brief History Of Love was ok but no way as strong as the press or the band themselves suggested.In the first flush of hype things certainly looked promising,Robbie and Milo have the hipster look down pat,hoxton haircuts,impeccable taste,cool reference points.
But along with the electronica there we're very average,dare i say it mediocre lumpen ballards that directly oppossed their glacial cool.
But you know when i invest in a band i try to be actively interested for longer then the 30 seconds afforded bands nowadays.The circle of hype in constant orbit.Future This in my opinion is a more solid effort then the debut.
Big Pink are definetly covering the market in melodic electronica ballards Stay Gold,1313 and Jump Music attest to this.
I did grit my teeth at a couple of the lyrical cliches and there are limitations to Furzes vocals,just not quite hitting the crescendos.BUT i like a band who feel no shame in attempting to write big fat choruses,a band which could easily disappear up their artistic backsides doing shoddy imitations of cooler bands.
There seems a detectable musical desire to be honest and reach for the bigger things,Rubbernecking epitomises this opinion.There is a real contradiction between the image of The Big Pink and their music.
Image wise its all edgy,music wise...well rather nice,commercial persil white arena rock.There is hints of Duran Duran{Lose Your Mind} Automatic era Jesus And Mary Chain,Depeche Mode{77}.Big Pink fans will love Future This and i think the band may be able to make a few moves in America who adore the british 80s new wave.There are momments when Big Pink hit great heights,bizarrely mostly on the outros of songs,real stonking beats hinting at a far,more aggressive experimental tone.Also there is a much more euphoric optimism to these songs.
So more a case of goodwill towards Big Pink then reverence,i would much prefer The Pink then other commercial boil in the bag Top Shop indie bands The Kooks or Hard Fi.Love the artwork of the album sleeve,very Dazed And Confused.