Music

Since they were all about 12 at the time, it’s no surprise that The Futureheads’ debut – sterling and (as it turned out) vanguard-leading though it was –  resembled a series of prolonged nervous spasms disguised as tunes. Four young lads from the cultural wasteland of Sunderland (incredibly, without a cinema until 18 months ago) with shedloads of combustible energy and the burning desire to make an impact –  small wonder they were drawn to Gang Of Four’s/Wire’s anxious punk-funk. We may now all be as comfortable with herky-jerky rhythms and non-linear time signatures as a pair of old pyjamas, but The Futureheads were there first.

What to do, then, for their second album? Deliver more of the same, with purely cosmetic changes ringed by a currently fashionable producer? Or perhaps execute an Athlete/Feeder/Muse-like swerve, to prove that the pony knows more than one trick? As leaders of a pack, The Futureheads were unlikely to settle for either, but plenty of bigger bands have experienced the sophomore slump. In which case, the confident, deeply breathed, naturally dizzying difference of ‘News And Tributes’ is even more impressive.

Put simply, it’s as if The Futureheads have turned their attention from UK’s post-punk linchpins to their American counterparts –  particularly Mission of Burma, Fugazi and Hüsker Dü –  with the inevitable maturing of their own style providing crucial topspin. In addition, they’ve let in space and light and somehow feminised their aesthetic along the way. Fans need not panic, however, since guitars still clang and surge like bastards and Barry Hyde’s and Ross Millard’s Mackem accents still ring out loud and proud. ‘Burnt’ (suggesting a post-rock Pixies), ‘Worry About It Later’ (The Who circa 1970), the furious ‘Return Of The Berserker’ (an improv piece, recorded live) and the title track (a prog Sonic Youth) shine with particular brilliance, but there isn’t a weak moment here. A triumph, in any terms.