News And Tributes

Here, they manage to do their maturing without losing the sheer likability which saved the debut from completely drowning in a sea of ideas.

'News And Tributes' is not just better than their first album, it's a fabulous record from a band with an exciting forward catalogue ahead of them.

Inspirational stuff.

Like mid-'80s Scritti Politti, News And Tributes is pop music made by young men loath to sell their intelligence down the river. [Jun 2006, p.114]

With News & Tributes, the band has matured to where the songs are initially gratifying but also grant further rewards with subsequent scrutiny.

If there's nothing quite as instantly gratifying as was The Futureheads' "Hounds Of Love," the whole of News And Tributes still stands as a more accomplished album, muscular without being overpowering and stylish without being vacuous.

Their latest one-ups the competition with punk that's theatrical and unrefined, melodic but treacle-free.

News and Tributes is a far cry from the all-out rush of fun of their debut. Ultimately, though, it's a stronger set of songs.

What really makes News And Tributes impressive, despite lacking the immediacy of its predecessor, is that it captures the Futureheads comfortable in their own skin. [Aug 2006, p.218]

News and Tributes does lack the visceral immediacy of its predecessor, and is a significant if subtle departure for the band, so it would be hard for anyone who fell in love with their debut to embrace it immediately. But, given time, the record gets under your skin in slow and somewhat surprising ways, eventually coming off sounding like a very good transitional album by a group with a whole lot more staying power than most would have credited them with two years ago.

While less exuberant and love-me-or-else desperate than the debut, News and Tributes is energizing in its own right, full of asymmetrical hooks and surprise detours.

Their trademark vigor is often missing. [16 Jun 2006, p.75]

An advance in both writing and sound from its promising 2004 debut. [4 Jun 2006]

The drawback of News and Tributes more relaxed pace, is that the underdeveloped side of their work is more exposed.

Get past the more pedestrian fare like "Yes/No" and "Return of the Berserker," and the full scope of the Futureheads' ambition reveals itself, particularly in the poppiest track, "Skip To The End."

So carefully paced is this record, weighed and measured for the correct balance of what's put in and what's taken away, that it never offers emotional triggers which bypass cerebral process.

Too often, though, as on the lacklustre title track 'Favours For Favours' or 'Thursday', it has to be said that the new beast just isn't as feisty as the one-trick pony of old.

This time around, the harmonies are less striking, but add a fullness to the group’s sound.

The album's best moments come on XTC-flavored new wave tracks like "Skip to the End" and "Favours for Favours," where they ease up on the accelerator and let the songs breathe.

On News and Tributes, the Futureheads make punk that's packed with ideas and downright radiant.

Promising but safe.