Genre(s): Synth-Pop, Progressive Rock
Recommended Tracks: Self, King Ghost, Count of Unease.
Label: Arts & Crafts
Rating: 3.5 out of 5. A delightful pop pivot for The King of Prog.
Review: The master of modern progressive rock and the man most responsible for keeping the legacy and spirit of 70's prog alive in the modern era has made a near full pivot towards synth-based pop... And we all should have seen it coming. As Pitchfork writer Sam Sodomsky reminds us in his latest review for Genisis' 1980 release Duke, ".. after the ’70's, nearly every major prog band tried their hand at writing simpler tunes for a hipper crowd..." Wilson's pop pivot was basically pre-ordained.
Have no fear, the music on The Future Bites does not abandon rock entirely. There is a fusion here akin to something you might here from Imagine Dragons or 2010's Coldplay. Only the musical content is more interesting and tasteful. The tunes on this record are definitely loaded to this gills with layers of sounds and textures previously only teased on Wilson's other efforts. But the strong and memorable melodies along with colorful and inventive chord progressions that have always been hallmarks of Wilson's sound are still here in full effect. As much as this record is different, it is also a distilled and focused restatement of everything fans have always loved about this music. On a personal level, having the opportunity to appreciate a level of sophistication in an easily digestible format is always welcome.
While the musical foundation of this record is strong, the ethics of the project's underlying lyrical concept are murky. The Future Bites is the name of a fictional brand that employs the viral hype-marketing and artificial supply scarcity tactics of brands like Supreme and, to a certain extent, tech giants like Apple. Anyone with a brain can appreciate the extent to which these companies invest in creating an artificial demand for their products to foster gross amount of conspicuous consumption. But at the same time, artists should be a bit more humble and careful before attacking these trends outright. In today's penny-pinched music market, artists rely heavily on convincing consumers of the uniqueness of their brand and the experiences associated with purchasing their products, products like limited addition vinyl. Attacking this business model outright lacks self awareness and sympathy for what it is consumers are looking for in the first place.
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