It's grim oop north, or so the UK's Southern Rock Royalty would have you believe; and though Sunderland's The Futureheads aren't exactly The Osmonds on Prozac, they do their bit to dispel that scurrilous myth. News and Tributes is the Mackem quartet's follow-up to their 250,000-selling debut, but if you're pettily poised to pounce on the shortcomings of the 'difficult second album', you're probably best off looking elsewhere. Like The Zutons. Or Keane. Or The Strokes. Co-vocalist Barry Hyde sums News and Tributes up perfectly by saying 'Our first album was made by giddy teenage boys - but this one has been made by big, strong men'. In other words, the jerky riffs are still there, but they're more controlled; the urgent four-part harmonies remain, but this time they've got a seasoned air to them; and they're still writing classic spiky pop tunes, but now they've got a broader appeal. Indeed, almost everything here is more appealing; The Futureheads are still ploughing their own furrow but have now expanded their scope and created more room for themselves in which to manoeuvre. Opener Yes/No shuffles in with its steady thump, proffering a glimpse into Futureheads MK II; Fallout is a standout, honing the quiet/loud/quiet formula to perfection before bursting into a sweet, pulsing melody glutted with handclaps and harmonies; and if the smutty choirboy charm of Worry About It Later isn't the next single, you may as well entomb your radio six feet under now. They've even managed to do poignant this time 'round, something that the debut failed to effect convincingly; the title track's reserved verse tells of the Munich Air Disaster - 'Cut down in their prime in silence/On that day in February '58' before bursting into a chest-beating chorus, similar to sinister ballad Burnt; while current single Skip To The End is possibly the most minimal but most effective track they've written. The only dud here is the pointless cacophony of Return of the Berserker, an unhinged two minute wig-out that has no place on the album. Overall though, News and Tributes can't be faulted, and The Futureheads have achieved the basic feat that so many bands are either too incompetent or too scared to; progress with their second album. True to their name then, if nothing else.
