Future of the Left -Polymers Are Forever

Tue 29th Nov, 2011 in Music Reviews

Here come Future of the Left, dragging their fetid ball of pulsating, caustic fury behind them. Well, what did you expect? FOTL sing the sounds of Tom Jones accompanied by the Porthcawl Male Choir?

Perhaps not, but there are more Future of the Lefters this time (new faces Julia Ruzicka and Jimmy Watkins make it a foursome). It wouldn’t be entirely unreasonable to think this might herald some changes. Polymers are Forever (EP trailer for next year’s full-length) could boast a bit of complex layering. Some fancy lead guitar shenanigans. A generous helping of melody (not so much ARRGHHHH!).

Ha! Changes are afoot but Polymers is recognisable as the snotty sibling to Curses and Travels With Myself and Another. If anything this release pushes the band towards the extremes of its predecessors. Arrangements are lean and sparse, consisting of absolute essentials and nothing more. Melodic detail is pumped with growth hormones to produce grossly distorted parodies. Synthesizers loom large in between the gaps.

For the title track synths are distilled down to an atonal vibration. Lord knows if there are two or twenty guitars; they’re channeled in unison to power a few super sized chords that bristle and brine with all the humanity of child labour. Beneath it all sits the bass. Not so much a series of notes as a fat, rumble of pure badass.

If you’re one of the greedy fuckwits that’s responsible for raiding the world’s piggy bank, Dry Hate will scare the bejesus out of you. Andy Falkous paces the floor muttering to himself about those “coffee sniffing motherfuckers” while guitars rev like a chorus of murderous buzz saws (if you haven’t already, now might not be the time to acquaint your grubby, money hungry self with Leatherface).

You can trace the lineage of industrial textures and septic rhythms back to the post-hardcore bands of the 80s and 90s (Shellac, Fugazi et al). Instead of dead-eyed America, FOTL march their agenda through a hall of mirrors. The underclass, the moneymen, the scientists and the misogynists all emerge as grotesque caricatures. It’s a constant parade of bloated, twisted bottom feeders that are the butt of the band’s scabrous humour and some very loud shouting.

Actually, Falkous doesn’t just shout. He’s been working hard to develop his range beyond the usual half yelling, half speaking. I mean he actually sings. There’s definitely more than one occasion where he holds a note like an actual proper singer. Not that an ‘actual proper singer’ is what he’s aspiring to. It’s a performance that morphs and shifts into various piss-takes of ‘actual proper singers’, like the Ice-addled crooner on destroywhitchurch.com, or the supremely sarcastic children’s entertainer who yaps the intro to New Adventures (itself a hyper-active pogo that’s a few heroin references away from amusing your three year old).

If you’ve been alienated by Future of the Left in the past, Polymers is not the olive branch you’re looking for. The band are in fine abrasive form and showing jack all interest in modifying their sound to attract a wider audience. In fact there seems to be a concerted effort to repel casual listeners. It all bodes well for an excellent anti-social racket of an album.

Future of the Left – Polymers Are Forever