FM: Futurama

Let's go back to the Futurama with the one and only FM, a band who can rightly claim to be amongst the best (possibly THE best) AOR outfits the UK has ever produced. Released to coincide with their UK/Ireland jaunt with Foreigner and Europe and their subsequent headline trek through the likes of Germany and Spain (it's a hard life innit?), this effort continues the FM trend of releasing EPs so crammed with goodies, that they're basically albums. Futurama is no exception, with eleven tracks and a running time of just under an hour making it an EP of "two halves".

Four brand new studio cuts get the game under way, the title track a short instrumental that could have been chiselled from the same fireplace that gave Brian May his very first guitar, "Cold Hearted" (which also features again in extended form) a mix of bouncy melodies and Hammond infused cool. "Bad That's Good In You" is upbeat and punchy and as ever a tremendous vehicle for Steve Overland's vocals and Jim Kirkpatrick's stinging lead work, while "Preying On My Mind" is a classy, considered ballad.

The "second half" contains six live tracks, including "Tough Love", "Crosstown Train", "Breathe Fire" and "All Or Nothing", with all six being crackling live takes of Rockville and Aphrodisiac album tracks, proving that whether playing songs from 2013 or 1992, FM have always delivered the goods.

For a band to be able to produce music as good as this on what could be seen as a stop gap release is impressive (especially when you consider FM released not one, but two all new albums only last year). However with this band doing exactly that on a regular basis now, it isn't surprising. The resurgence of FM continues to go from strength to strength and their Futurama looks ever brighter.

Track Listing
1. Futurama
2. Cold Hearted
3. Bad That's Good in You
4. Preying on My Mind
5. Tough Love (Live)
6. All or Nothing (Live)
7. Closer to Heaven (Live)
8. Crosstown Train (Live)
9. Story of My Life (Live)
10. Breathe Fire (Live)
11. Cold Hearted (Extended Remix)

Added: March 20th 2014
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: FM Online
Hits: 2948
Language: english

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