SANTA MONICA, CA- In between Sunday sets at Coachella, Future Islands dropped by Apogee Studios in Santa Monica, CA to hang out with KCRW andand record an interview and live performance for Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Having just released their last album, “The Far Field”, Jason Bentley interviewed the band and they discussed a broad range of topics including the history of the band’s origins, their relationship with another KCRW stalwart, Dan Deacon, and the process by which they wrote and recorded “The Far Field”. Then, they jumped into an impassioned performance for an intimate crowd.
There’s something magical about seeing Future Islands, and particularly Sam Herring, perform live in an intimate setting. Sam is that rare breed of performer who has no qualms with wearing his emotions on his sleeve. With every lyric he sings, he bears every ounce of each word’s emotional weight with every gesture and facial expression that he makes.
At times, I worried that he was actually harming himself. So connected with the words he was singing, he repeatedly slapped his forehead with an open palm, violently leaving a red outline of his hand and individual fingers on his forehead. And his eyes … the depth of intensity in those eye as he performs is both soft and warmly inviting yet simultaneously wracked with the pangs of hurt and anguish that he sings about. When he sang “Day Glow Fire”, one of the “saddest songs [he’s] ever written”, you could could feel the room release a collective sigh.
Their setlist featured tracks from their latest release. Opening with the first track off the album, “Alladin”, they basically performed the entire album save “Shadows” which is duet featuring Debbie Harry. To the joy of all in the audience, they also threw in a handful of some of their fan favorites (“Walking Through That Door”, “Season”, “Balance”, “Tin Man” and “Little Dreamer”) as well.
This audio from this interview and performance will be aired May 9th on Morning Become Eclectic with the video of the same being available to stream on KCRW’s website. Mark your calendars. You don’t want to miss it.
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