Believable Picnic
Welcome to the Future
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Since The Beatles and PFR are no more (slap yourself in the face if you didn't know these facts!), someone has to carry the multi-vocal harmony flag. These guys do a splendid job. Songs like "Flowers" cascade along inside your head like puffy white clouds, joined by sharp pop hooks. Those waiting for funny / quirky numbers like "Spaceman" will have to settle for a less-heavy "Easy Chair," which starts off with a subdued choral take a la the Stones' intro to "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and then kicks in with a real pop rock boppy feel a la Audio Adrenaline or Geoff Moore. Lyrically the band is very tight and sharp. Their wit and psychedelic sugary sweet melodies conjure up images of Jellyfish. "Ride The Wave" is sung in a Daniel Amos sort of way, while the lyrics bite down on the lack of creativity sometimes seen in the Christian music scene. Finally, I can't leave out the fact that I'm disappointed in this album. I miss their heavy and progressive grooves, which only show their heads briefly on this release. But, like the Galactic Cowboys, they find a way to make sweet sugar pop cool again with just the right amount of solid state amplification. Case in point - the aptly titled "Sugar." One of the departure tricks they play is an ode to their old hometown - Minneapolis - and that famous purple man - Prince. The soft, pouting vocals are the first tribute, and then the lyrics bring up the "party like it's 1999" line. Nice tip of the hat. Don't be fooled by the title, Welcome To The Future is a romp back into the past of sixties British psychedelic pop music. These guys belong in an Austin Powers soundtrack.