The M's
Future Women

(Polyvinyl)

First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2006, Volume 13, #2

Written by John Metzger

Judging from the press that it has been receiving of late, The M’s just may be the hottest ticket in Chicago at the moment, and on its first, proper, full-length endeavor Future Women — its previous, self-titled outing merely compiled material from a trio of independently crafted EPs — the group doesn’t disappoint. Where the ensemble frequently seemed tentative and uncertain on its early forays, it now feels undeniably like a veteran outfit, and throughout Future Women, it feeds the clattering, garage-rock of The Kinks; the harmonic, R&B flavor of The Who; the fuzzy glam of T-Rex; and the wide-sweeping ambition of Wilco into a Phil Spector-sized Wall of Sound in order to create a delightful, power-pop stew for the ’00s. The opening Plan of the Man charges out of the gate, riding its steady thump of drums and bass straight through the shimmering heart of the song’s dense, psychedelic haze, while Trucker Speed careens wildly through a tunnel of ominous discordance before tumbling into the warm glow of Light I Love. Elsewhere, the band clouds Going Over It’s melodic sunshine with jaggedly abrasive guitars, and it sends a jolt of electric Kool-Aid through the heavy crunch of the Mott the Hoople-bred Never Do this Again. Although much of Future Women touches upon familiar terrain, the band succeeds in turning each track into a freshly conceived, sonic adventure. Taken in total, it appears as if The M’s not only has collected all of the goodwill that Gomez managed to squander with last year’s lackluster concert set Out West, but it also has put it to good use. ½

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2006 The Music Box