Banned From The Future is a good pun title, but also maybe a sly comment on how the sounds of chilly dystopian sci-fi minimalism, which once seemed to look beyond the horizon, now seem to nod reverently at the past.
That said, Mick Futures’ debut album is far from a pastiche of nostalgic weird-punk gestures. It’s a master class in tradition, delivered by one of its most respected and acclaimed institutions, Mitch Houle (also of Strange Attractor and Statues). A Few Pieces offers a perfect pairing of snare drum and guitar tone Mini-Mag lurches expertly underneath its deranged pontification and Cold Emotions serves up a completely different but still perfect pairing of snare and guitar.
Houle puts together songs that offer a sophisticated revitalization of the futurist rock aesthetic while retaining a unique sonic fingerprint. Had Brian Eno lived in Sudbury, this is how Here Come The Warm Jets might’ve turned out.
Top track: In Case We Learn
