To say that Future Islands singer Samuel Herring has an unusual voice, would be an understatement. Before listening to the band’s new album, On the Water, I have always equated Herring’s distinct, strained  vocals with the likes of Tom Waits. What critic Daniel Durchholz described as sounding “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car.” But on their new album, Herring’s voice sounds less Waits, and more comical – more like the  voice of Jason Segal’s Dracula puppet in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

No matter how you desect  it,  Herring’s voice, just isn’t welcoming.  Granted, certain tracks like “Where I Found You”, convey a certain charm and  palpable operatic emotion, but on the whole, Herring’s voice is a challenge for the listener. While there are great things to be said about a band who challenge their listeners, On the Water is relentlessly agitating, with each song masked by an intentionally repellent exterior.

Herring’s voice aside, On the Water is sonically reminiscent  of the last Wild Beasts album or even Austra’s LP. Most songs are built around synthesizers and buzzy, poppy effects, then layered with natural instruments. Where the vocals fall short,  the musical arrangements pick up the slack, and they do so with incredible strength. This is a a nautical album, heavy on atmospherics and complete with splashing wave sounds throughout tracks like “Tybee Island”. “Before the Bridge” is the most engendering song on the album, which is also highly progressive. There is a lot of raw emotion and yearning on this album, some of which flows from Herring, but most of which can be found in the subtle soundscape brilliance that the album is soaked in. Ultimately, song structure is so saccharine and well constructed on this album, that in some instances, Herring’s voice almost seems appropriate.  It takes some time and patience to arrive at that concession, but like listening to their previous effort In Evening Air on heavy rotation, it’s an embrace worth extending arms for.

 

-Andrew Bailey