Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

It does help if you can bury your nonsense in an avalanche of guitars - some of which are lethally sharp - all falling through a fog of harmonies. That way you could literally be singing the very first thing which comes into your head (and there are times when you suspect this exactly what the 'Heads do, more often than they would perhaps admit) and people will be too busy pulling extravagent shapes and pitching an awkward minor third to notice.

Oh wait! I'm not saying the lyrics here ARE nonsense, of course. No, this is a pretty concise account of what it is like to get a hot band together, develop a fanbase, get some momentum going, get some records out, and then....what? How do you keep it all going in the face of declining interest from the media, the fans, and worst of all, the record company who pays your wages?

Well, in the case of the Futureheads, what you do is re-apply the rules you laid down when you first put the band together. Sharp guitars, terrace harmonies, unself-conscious lyrics, pop melodies and yelping. That is the essence of what they do, and they do it very well.

And as soon as it appears that people's attention span has started to wander once again, make a video which has puppets in. Specifically puppets who are a grumpy, diva-esque version of the band. This cannot fail.

Download: Out now
CD Released: August 4th

(Fraser McAlpine)

PS: has some useful information on the band's recent releases, specifically downloads. But more importantly, it also has an amazing Bazooka Joe background collage. This cannot fail either. And doesn't.