Strategy — Future Rock

The first track of Future Rock, Can't Roll Back, is seemingly an ironic statement. The lyrics repeat the line "Can't roll forward looking over your shoulder", yet Future Rock, at least to my ears, is not an album that looks forward. The music is a melange of old school dance music of varying styles. Mostly, it has a mellow vibe, with dubby echo production and whispered vocals. It has a hazy quality, which gives it uniformity, even as the pace changes.

There are occassional instrumental overdubs in the form of percussion, bass, guest vocals and guitar, but for the most part Future Rock sounds purely electronic. There are tape loop treatments on Sunfall (Interlude) credited to three different people, making for a nice interlude living up to it's sub-title.

Future Rock is undeniably a carefully wrought work, making for pleasant enough listening. And the fact that it's subtle isn't a problem either. It's got some interesting elements, most notably some keyboard work which sounds inspired by Miles Davis-era Herbie Hancock, especially noticeable on Can't Roll Back, but making re-appearances throughout the album.

The album's production, while interesting, is like a gauze over the whole of Future Rock which tends to make the material appear samey. And although the music doesn't stick to one style, the tempos and feel are similar, which makes listening to it from front to back a bit of a chore.