Track Review: Future Islands – “Tomorrow”

Even on their singles, Future Islands don’t stray far from the no-holds-barred romanticism that defines their full-length. “Tomorrow,” part of the Less Artists More Condos series, is a familial gospel tune floating around in the chasm of outer space, splaying out in all four dimensions. You can hear everything from Brian Eno to The Jordanaires in here, but remove the ebullient vocal furnishings and you’re left with stock-and-trade synth-pop. Planes of sound softly heave up and down like a lifeboat on an ocean. It’s pretty and tranquil, with customary grassroots charm (“What’s a man to do when a man can’t be true?”). The vocals are really what carry “Tomorrow.” Halfway through, Samuel Herring lets out a tearing-the-skin-from-your-throat scream that would do Avey Tare proud. It’s a momentary disruption on a track that might otherwise sail off unnoticed.