Covered in kudzu and swathed in a blanket of humidity, spanish moss, feedback and reverb exists Futurebirds. Here, at this intersection, we find a synthesis of the two extremes of Neil Young’s yin and yang. It’s at this crossroads, on this plane that Futurebirds meld the sweet, lilting, pedal steel and harmonies of the Stray Gators with the raucous, buzzing, distortion of Crazyhorse.
Futurebirds debut, Hampton’s Lullaby, is forged from a South that has as much to do with the worldview of Silver Jews’ David Berman as the inhabitants of William Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County. Building on the bones of their self-titled 2009 EP, Hampton’s Lullaby invokes an absurdist, cornbread-fed, psychedelic dream state rooted to reality in colloquial storytelling. If you buy into the belief that we are all the summation of our shared influences then it’s no surprise that this band, hailing from Athens, GA, equally incorporates both the psych-tinged sounds of the Elephant 6 collective and the southern gothic, Fables of The Reconstruction era, R.E.M. into their sonic palette. It’s this exact tightrope, this subtle dance, that informs their work and that drives their aesthetic—be it on wax or in a live context.
Hampton’s Lullaby is out today via Autumn Tone Records. The band is presently touring the U.S. and heads back out on the road this fall. Don’t sleep on seeing them live. You’ll thank me later.
MP3: Futurebirds :: Johnny Utah
MP3: Futurebirds :: Battle For Rome
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Purchase: Futurebirds – Hampton’s Lullaby (Digital Only)
Purchase: Futurebirds – Hampton’s Lullaby (Digital/CD)
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Going to be at Snug Harbor in Charlotte, NC this Friday, July 30th and I can’t wait to see them again. Just a tremendous live band.
1 | j. neas July 27th, 2010 at 12:38 amWow. Nice, lush sound. Very cool indeed!
2 | Belle Boussole July 27th, 2010 at 8:38 amSaw them two weeks ago at the Bottle Tree in Birmingham. Bought the album then and have listened to it non-stop since. Exceeded my expectations in every way. Either the Futurebirds are one of the hardest working bands in the U.S. or David Barbe is an effing genius or both. Brilliant album from start to finish. BUY IT NOW
3 | MonkBerryMoonDelight July 27th, 2010 at 9:16 amWhoever made the Quentin Compton reference needs a pay bump.
4 | nashvillain July 27th, 2010 at 1:27 pmSilver Jews/Faulkner all aboard
5 | sancho July 27th, 2010 at 3:32 pmwell, dave barbe IS an effing genius, either way.
6 | jc July 28th, 2010 at 10:05 amDrew Vandenberg and Freon Fighters produced this masterpiece. David Barbe is the zen master that showed them the way.
7 | Delbert July 28th, 2010 at 1:37 pmMine is living in my cars dashboard….great driving album.
8 | Reid McCall July 29th, 2010 at 12:23 pmLove it.
Love this one too – been in the player all week. Early MMJ sounds for sure.
9 | Steely August 11th, 2010 at 6:02 pm[...] Our friends Futurebirds are hitting the road this Fall with their hometown compadres Dead Confederate. Things kick off this Saturday in Athens with a show at Max Canada before the bands make their way across the US of A. Dead Confederate are touring in support of their sophomore LP, Sugar, (release August 24th) while Futurebirds continue to convert the masses spreading the gospel of Hampton’s Lullaby. [...]
10 | Aquarium Drunkard » Dead Confederate W/ Futurebirds :: U.S Fall Tour 2010 August 17th, 2010 at 5:53 pmI live for stumbling across masterpieces like Hampton’s Lullaby. Honest and innovative. That’s a hard line to walk for most!
11 | EllisU October 1st, 2010 at 12:11 pmWow. Don’t miss the chance to see these guys live because they give a great show…. especially if you’re lucky enough to catch them in their element in Athens, Georgia.
12 | ReservoirD October 6th, 2010 at 3:28 pm[...] we got our hands on Hampton’s Lullaby and realized that it was crafted by Drew Vandenberg at Chase Park, it all started to make sense. [...]
13 | Thrasher Photo & Design | futurebirds photographs by jason thrasher of thrasher photo & design November 19th, 2010 at 1:52 pm[...] last year’s Hampton’s Lullaby placed them firmly on the national radar, Athens, GA’s Futurebirds self-recorded and released [...]
14 | Aquarium Drunkard » Futurebirds April 19th, 2011 at 7:31 am[...] more check out their album Hampton’s Lullaby. Looking forward to more good things coming from these [...]
15 | Futurebirds « Wildwood December 12th, 2011 at 6:52 pm