Before
The Bridge
is all about frontman Samuel Herring’s singing, and not just
because he sounds like Frank N Furter recast as an English
aristocrat. No. This is a deliberate thing on the part of the band.
Take for instance how high Herring’s vocals are pushed up the mix.
It’s an attempt to focus the listener’s attention on his lyrics,
and the emotional heft he brings them. Do
you believe in love? Herring asks at one point, hopeful and optimistic, as though leaning in
close. But then he follows Hold your tongue,
suggesting it’d be better for us all if we didn’t hear the
response. It’s because Future
Islands bring
Herring to the forefront that this is all audible.
Furthermore,
the instrumentation on Before
The Bridge prioritises Herring's singing too, acting like a soundtrack to his plot,
bringing it added drama. The synths for instance might have been
taken from a 50s sci-fi flick, calling to mind something both
brilliant to imagine, but tragic, because impossible to realise. Like
the relationships equivalent of a futurist utopia or something. To add to this, like endless bands before them, Future
Islands pile layers on the song as Herring nears emotional climax. Take for
instance the swell of noise as Herring cries Do you believe in love?
again and again. It doesn’t come close to drowning out his voice, but it’s enough to make his cries that much more
insistent, spiting his rhetorical tone.
