Because I am not-so-secretly animatronic and cynical, I cannot get into Future Islands. The histrionics and over-the-top aspects are a little too Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, the dance moves a little too frumpy dad, the pop sensibilities a little too on the nose — as though it’s indie rock and punk filtered through a short-lived 80s goth phase. Sam Herring seems like a chill bro, though. He rides for Gravediggaz and Open Mike Eagle and probably would be the best podcast interview in the world. Like Sting and Hansel, I’m not much of a fan of the music, but the fact that he’s doing it — I respect that.
So leave it to everyone’s non-POW staff Canadians to enliven “Seasons” and give it the spaghetti western spine that I never knew it needed. Rather than Reagan era gloss, this gets lysergic and dirty. The beat sounds made to soundtrack Sergio Leone doing a James Brown biopic. If I can understand the appeal of Future Islands, it’s through the emotion in the singing. The sincerity and passion can’t be denied and even if I’m a smirking asshole, this remix does what a good remix is supposed to do: it re-imagines the original while somehow accentuating its appeal. Canadian Thanksgiving was last month, but this was delivered right on time for our domestic gluttony and autumnal contemplation. Good work.
