Future This

For fans of British rock music, The Big Pink's 2009 debut, A Brief History of Love, was much buzzed about Sure, the arena rock aspirations were there, but the duo of Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell managed to keep it real through decent songwriting and the street cred of being on the same label as Ariel Pink and Camera Obscura. Still, there was a feeling around The Big Pink that they could be the next Muse/Coldplay/Oasis, or at least wanted to be. Just two songs into Future This, they've already gone through nearly every Britrock trick in the post-Stone Roses book, suggesting that time is already upon us. The arena rock hook of "Stay Gold" is every bit as yearning as its The Outsiders-quoting title suggests, and "Hit the Ground (Superman)" quite possibly compares drug use to super powers ("I don't wanna hit the ground/ I'm Superman!") in a concept the Gallagher brothers (somehow) never thought of. There's also a fascination with sampling and hip-hop production throughout the record, and while these qualities keep the stakes high, they don't change the fact that The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" has already been done, and done well at that. Nicki Minaj did turn a sample of A Brief History of Love's "Dominoes" into a UK hit (the 2011 single "Girls Fall Like Dominoes"), though the duo may have taken the distinction a little too seriously. In all its bluster and bombast, Future This has its moments, though The Big Pink could certainly use a dose of what many of their NME rock peers lack - subtlety.