The Future Bites

The Future Bites

by Steven Wilson
The Future Bites

The Future Bites

by Steven Wilson

CD

$15.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
    Choose Expedited Shipping at checkout for delivery by Thursday, April 4
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

Steven Wilson fans have been primed for The Future Bites since he released To the Bone in 2017. That record, and the preceding 4½ EP, were deliberately "pop" responses to his three-album dalliance with prog -- Raven That Refused to Sing, Hand. Cannot. Erase, and Grace for Drowning. In contrast to the above, The Future Bites is a slick exercise in Wilson's oft-articulated love of synth pop and electronic music. It's a loose concept set about the treachery that rampant consumerism foists upon the world, and the danger a technological society imposes on personal identity. Given the musical m.o. here, it should come as no surprise that the production on these nine songs is slick, even icy. It contrasts sharply with most of Wilson's songwriting that remains saturated in welcoming, effusive melodies and hooks. On most tracks, guitars and drums are subservient to keyboards and electronic rhythms and soundscapes. As usual, the studio cast is stellar. It includes keyboardists Adam Holzman and Richard Barbieri, bassist Nick Beggs, drummer Michael Spearman, sonic architect and beat maestro Faultline (David Kosten), and backing vocalists Wendy Harriott, Bobbie Gordon, and Crystal Williams. Set highlights include "King Ghost," which eschews conventional instrumentation in favor of dark, brooding, quasi-futurist electronics. They simultaneously reflect, "Memorabilia"-era Soft Cell, middle period Talk Talk, and Oil & Gold-era Shriekback. That said, the song's subtle, airy melody is infectious, nearly hummable above the layered electronics. "12 Things I Forgot" is the most formally constructed pop song here. It's framed by conventional guitars, organic drums, basses, and Rhodes piano, and glorious backing vocals from the Mystery Jets. The hooky melody walks a strange and circuitous path between vintage Todd Rundgren, early Aztec Camera, and Difford & Tilbrook. Weirdly, it contains a tagline hook straight out of Peter Frampton's "I Want You (To Show Me the Way)." "Eminent Sleaze" delivers a sinister muscular beat driven by a bass-and-drum vamp that eerily recalls Dr. John's "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" atop a spooky string chart and exponentially layered synthetic handclaps. Wilson adds a wonky Adrian Belew-esque guitar break, propelled by Beggs' nasty Chapman Stick and Holzman's restrained keys. The electro-disco of "Personal Shopper" channels Human League, Kraftwerk, and Giorgio Moroder. Its lyric is drenched in irony as Elton John reads from a shopping list of "shit you never knew you liked," including "deluxe box sets" (a piss take, both men are guilty of releasing them). "Man of the People" is a lovely, alienated, bittersweet ballad adorned by Barbieri's heavenly soundscape as guitars, pillowy beats, and atmospherics frame Wilson's lovely faux-soul vocal. In sum, those who had trouble with To the Bone, Wilson's well-executed homage to the progressive pop of Kate Bush, Tears for Fears, and Peter Gabriel, may have even more with this. Most fans, however, especially more recent ones, shouldn't find The Future Bites an inconsistent entry in Wilson's catalog, but an arguably minor one that steps sideways instead of forward. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date: 01/29/2021
Label: Arts & Crafts
UPC: 0602508665684
Rank: 102153

Tracks

  1. Unself
  2. Self
  3. King Ghost
  4. 12 Things I Forgot
  5. Eminent Sleaze
  6. Man of the People
  7. Personal Shopper
  8. Follower
  9. Count of Unease

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Steven Wilson   Primary Artist,Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic),Bass,Harp,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Shaker,Vocals,Autoharp,Clapping,Sampling,Keyboards,Percussion,Vibraphone,Synthesizer,Handclapping,Fender Rhodes,Guitar (Bass),Sound Effects,Hand Percussion,Organ (Hammond),Shortwave Radio
Biffy Clyro   Primary Artist
Nile Rodgers   Primary Artist
Mos Capri   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jakl   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Yali   Voices
Yali & Mia   Voices
Adam Holzman   Piano,Synthesizer,Wah Wah Piano,Piano (Electric)
Fyfe Dangerfield   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Marco Machera   Synthesizer Bass,Bass
Rotem Wilson   Voices
Guy Protheroe   Conductor
Crystal Williams   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jon Courtney   Vocals
Elton John   Voices
David Kosten   Drones,Synthesizer
Nick Beggs   Guitar,Spoons,Percussion,Chapman Stick,Guitar (Bass)
London Session Orchestra   Strings,Orchestra
Chloe Alper   Vocals
Mia   Voices
Jack Flanagan   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Blaine Harrison   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Rou Reynolds   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Bobbie Gordon   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Michael Spearman   Drums,Hi Hat,Cymbals
Wendy Harriott   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Rina Mushonga   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Hoshiko Yamane   Viola,Violin (Electric)
Genuine   Cello
Jason Cooper   Cymbals,Percussion
Richard Barbieri   Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Yeshen Venema   Photography
Lonya Koval   Engineer
Steven Wilson   String Arrangements,Synthesizer Programming,Creative Concept,Text,Design,Mixing,Concept,Arranger,Composer,Producer,Surround Mix,Art Direction,Sound Concepts,Mixing Engineer
Adam Holzman   Synthesizer Programming
Pure Reason Revolution   Remix Engineer
Dan Duszynski   Engineer
Ulrich Schnauss   Synthesizer Programming
David Kosten   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Mixing Engineer
Thorsten Quaeschning   Synthesizer Programming
Mo Hausler   Editing
John Mitchell   Composer
Adrian Benavides   Remix Engineer
Marco Pasquariello   Engineer
Andrew Hobbs   Cover Photo
Magit Cacoon   Producer,Remix Engineer
Paul Frick   Synthesizer Programming
Jake Fields   Mixing
Tangerine Dream   Remix Engineer
Shearwater   Remix Engineer
Simon Moore   Creative Concept
Biffy Clyro   Remix Engineer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Pat Mastelotto   Remix Engineer
Cenzo Townshend   Mixing
Richard Barbieri   Synthesizer Programming
Nile Rodgers   Remix Engineer
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews