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Future Islands weren't playing around when they named their breakthrough album Singles. From the get-go, the group has always written immediate, attention-grabbing songs which would all be at home on jukebox-ready 45 RPM singles. Throughout their career, they've issued a bounty of non-album material through limited releases, including split EPs and singles with their friends and tourmates. Celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band, they issued From a Hole in the Floor to a Fountain of Youth on longtime home 4AD, collecting 20 tracks mainly from out-of-print singles, or in some cases issued as Japan-only CD bonus tracks. Presented in something close to chronological order, it tracks the evolution of Future Islands from a basement-dwelling group of college students to a world-renowned live act with a catalog of acclaimed albums. Over two decades, the band has clearly honed their chops through constant touring, and their studio production values have increased, but they were already writing exciting, memorable synth pop anthems when they were still making a name for themselves during the 2000s. The dinky keyboards and bouncy tempo of "Happiness of Being Twice" harken back to the days when Future Islands might have been mentioned in the same breath as synth-punk goofball Atom & His Package, yet there's no mistaking the burning spirit in Samuel T. Herring's passionate delivery, and the song remains one of the band's all-time best. "Pinnochio" and "Find Love" are also uptempo gems, while slower songs like "In the Fall" and "The Fountain" are chillwave with grandeur, recalling member Gerrit Welmers' instrumental side project Moss of Aura. Later tracks from the group's 4AD era feature more restrained performances from Herring (all those years of ferocious growling took a toll on his vocal cords), as well as more polished production and live drumming. The only previously unheard song surfacing on record for the first time is a soul-stirring demo called "Rager," in which Herring opens up about addiction and depression. As generous as the collection is, it still isn't comprehensive -- the version of early highlight "Follow You" from their 2008 split 7" with Dan Deacon would've been a welcome inclusion, for example. The fact that the group has an abundance of excellent material simply means that they're doing the right thing, and From a Hole in the Floor to a Fountain of Youth stands up with the best of their full-lengths. - AllMusic Review by Paul Simpson
Tracklist
1. The Ink Well (03:27)
2. Pinnochio (02:59)
3. Happiness of Being Twice (03:15)
4. In the Fall (05:03)
5. Awake and Dreaming (04:40)
6. Virgo Distracts (02:40)
7. Find Love (03:43)
8. Cotton Flower (03:53)
9. The Fountain (05:39)
10. Tomorrow (03:31)
11. One Day (04:27)
12. The Chase (03:42)
13. Calliope (03:30)
14. Six Weeks (03:33)
15. Haunted By You (03:46)
16. Sail (04:54)
17. As Long As You Are (03:43)
18. Days (02:50)
19. Rager (demo) (03:37)
20. Glimpse (03:15)
Cat no: 191400090712
Future Islands weren't playing around when they named their breakthrough album Singles. From the get-go, the group has always written immediate, attention-grabbing songs which would all be at home on jukebox-ready 45 RPM singles. Throughout their career, they've issued a bounty of non-album material through limited releases, including split EPs and singles with their friends and tourmates. Celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band, they issued From a Hole in the Floor to a Fountain of Youth on longtime home 4AD, collecting 20 tracks mainly from out-of-print singles, or in some cases issued as Japan-only CD bonus tracks. Presented in something close to chronological order, it tracks the evolution of Future Islands from a basement-dwelling group of college students to a world-renowned live act with a catalog of acclaimed albums. Over two decades, the band has clearly honed their chops through constant touring, and their studio production values have increased, but they were already writing exciting, memorable synth pop anthems when they were still making a name for themselves during the 2000s. The dinky keyboards and bouncy tempo of "Happiness of Being Twice" harken back to the days when Future Islands might have been mentioned in the same breath as synth-punk goofball Atom & His Package, yet there's no mistaking the burning spirit in Samuel T. Herring's passionate delivery, and the song remains one of the band's all-time best. "Pinnochio" and "Find Love" are also uptempo gems, while slower songs like "In the Fall" and "The Fountain" are chillwave with grandeur, recalling member Gerrit Welmers' instrumental side project Moss of Aura. Later tracks from the group's 4AD era feature more restrained performances from Herring (all those years of ferocious growling took a toll on his vocal cords), as well as more polished production and live drumming. The only previously unheard song surfacing on record for the first time is a soul-stirring demo called "Rager," in which Herring opens up about addiction and depression. As generous as the collection is, it still isn't comprehensive -- the version of early highlight "Follow You" from their 2008 split 7" with Dan Deacon would've been a welcome inclusion, for example. The fact that the group has an abundance of excellent material simply means that they're doing the right thing, and From a Hole in the Floor to a Fountain of Youth stands up with the best of their full-lengths. - AllMusic Review by Paul Simpson
Tracklist
1. The Ink Well (03:27)
2. Pinnochio (02:59)
3. Happiness of Being Twice (03:15)
4. In the Fall (05:03)
5. Awake and Dreaming (04:40)
6. Virgo Distracts (02:40)
7. Find Love (03:43)
8. Cotton Flower (03:53)
9. The Fountain (05:39)
10. Tomorrow (03:31)
11. One Day (04:27)
12. The Chase (03:42)
13. Calliope (03:30)
14. Six Weeks (03:33)
15. Haunted By You (03:46)
16. Sail (04:54)
17. As Long As You Are (03:43)
18. Days (02:50)
19. Rager (demo) (03:37)
20. Glimpse (03:15)
Cat no: 191400090712
