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Future Islands — Spirit
Album: Singles
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3677









Released: 2014
Length: 4:15
Plays (last 30 days): 5
Trusted, repeated
Candor, uneven – in it's the will to find
The right design
The form belongs, to no one
Holding truth

Come see me through
Come through the sea
To share
And bare
The light inside of you

Don't cast away, don't cast away
Don't let them cast a role for you

Find the sun, force the moon
Lose the earth
For dreams come to those who let them in their guarded room
Open wide your winged-eye
Spirit drives – to catch the truth
For spirit thrives where darkness comes to challenge you

Be more than words
Be more than strength and kind
Be love and blind
To those who come to you

Sing something new
Belief is wet and ghost
Yet, loves the most of what we do

Don't cast away, don't cast away
Don't let them cast a role for you

Find the sun, force the moon
Lose the earth
For dreams come to those who let them in their guarded room
Open wide your winged-eye
Spirit drives – to catch the truth
For spirit thrives where darkness comes to challenge you

Those winter days
Those winter nights
Those days and those nights

Come see me through
Come through the sea
To bare
And share
The light inside of you

Don't cast away, don't cast away
Don't let them cast a role for you

Find the sun, force the moon
Lose the earth
For dreams come to those who let them in their guarded room
Open wide your winged-eye
Spirit drives – to catch the truth
For spirit thrives where darkness comes to challenge you

Challenge you, challenge you
Challenge You
Comments (243)add comment
It took me a few times to appreciate this track, and then I started to hear the lyrics. Pure gold!
Wow this song is 10 years old already
Liking this!
One of my first songs that convinced me to stay with this station several years ago, roundabout 20. Ever since I'm fearing death again: there is no over there!
 awhfman wrote:

I saw them in 1969 at the Texas Pop Festival. Once was all I needed.



Is your time machine available to rent? 
like this but overplayed 
 coloradojohn wrote:

Mind you, this rubbed me the wrong way when it first came out. Hearing them often on RP, happily, I did gain a solid appreciation of their artfully distinctive genius. This one can still catch me off guard sometimes... I get excited, waiting for the spell they cast, from the intro. That bass is downright impressive, and the beats are as wild and creative as it gets, for sure -- but there is no denying the talent and uniqueness of the singer. Mr. Herring manages to get every bit of his power and passion into his remarkable voice, and the result, combined with the skils of the other musicians, gives me an uplifting cerebral and corporal experience every time I listen to them. Thanks always, RP!



Watching Mr. Herring dance is a very different experience as well.  
 alexandersmcmillan wrote:

I can't believe these guys recently did a cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas." 



I wasnt expecting that! I had to check it out. Doesnt even sound like him singing.
 SpinyNorma wrote:
It's so good to know that, in these grim days of manufactured, (insert your country's name here)'s Got Talent and X-Factor-influenced music-for-the-proles, there are still musical artistes and bands who have a distinct, instantly recognisable style.  Future Islands is such an outfit;  see also Arctic Monkeys, Alt-J, War on Drugs, and many more.  It's also good to know that I can hear them all here on Radio Paradise, so hats off to Bill, Rebecca and the team! 


You're so right. My example filling out space between your brackets is Helene Fischer, the queen of boulevard pop over here in the old world ;o)
wow super retro. Like
 awhfman wrote:

I saw them in 1969 at the Texas Pop Festival. Once was all I needed.



I sincerely doubt that. 
I saw them in 1969 at the Texas Pop Festival. Once was all I needed.
Mind you, this rubbed me the wrong way when it first came out. Hearing them often on RP, happily, I did gain a solid appreciation of their artfully distinctive genius. This one can still catch me off guard sometimes... I get excited, from the intro, waiting for the spell they cast... That bass is downright impressive, and the beats are as wild and creative as it gets, for sure -- but there is no denying the talent and uniqueness of the singer. Mr. Herring manages to get every bit of his power and passion into his remarkable voice, and the result, combined with the skils of the other musicians, gives me an uplifting cerebral and corporal experience every time I listen to them. Thanks, Future Islands & RP!
 smackiepipe wrote:


It does sound like that's what he was singing. Just chalk it up to Misheard Lyrics. I had a friend who thought MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" was really "King Tustus." All ears are different.


Excuse me while I kiss this guy.
Kraftwerk meets the 2020s....love this group. Thank you RP.
Introduced to future islands by RP, caught them live a few times now, solid addition to the catalog!
Loved FI from the first time I heard them.  They make some bold decisions, like no guitars.  Nothing wrong with a guitar in a band, of course, but to intentionally set out as a band without one?  Gutsy.
 sfoster66 wrote:

Samual Herring is one talented interesting dude.  Check him out...

(and yeah, honestly, the first time I heard Future Islands; I thought it was like one nerdy guy in his basement in Germany with a room full of tech gear...)



Not that there's anything wrong with that! : )
I can't believe these guys recently did a cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas." 
 AnchorMan wrote:


Looks tasty.
6 > 7

They're growing on me. I need to hear some of their other songs.
Future Islands did a bang-up job putting the synthesizer back in rock & roll.  It seems like from 1995 to 2015 it was pushed back to the circles of EDM and techno, or just used for "acceptable" background melodies... not the overdriven sound like we have here.
Good Tune!! Weird, but good!! I never heard of them before.  Thank You RP!
 mikegrinker wrote:

Something unique hear. Something a little courageous?




I Agree!!
 SnapDragon66 wrote:

Possibly the most odd vocal performance I've ever seen, but a good listen.




I Agree!!
VH1 wrote: YOU FIND THIS FUNNY? FXXXING RACIST!!!!!!!

Son, told me mom, why are you listening all that foreign music?
I've answered - mom, I listening just instrumentals and, God bless, - don't understand dummy lyrics!
VH1 wrote: YOU FIND THIS FUNNY? FXXXING RACIST!!!!!!!
 
Son, told me mom, why are you listening all that foreign music?
I've answered - mom, I listening just instrumentals and, God bless, - don't understand dummy lyrics!
Samual Herring is one talented interesting dude.  Check him out...

(and yeah, honestly, the first time I heard Future Islands; I thought it was like one nerdy guy in his basement in Germany with a room full of tech gear...)
 noe.architecte169 wrote:

J'adore ce groupe. Grosse base bien grasse, un synthé qui réalise toutes les harmonies, un vrai batteur pour un beat machinal et un chanteur charismatique incroyable. Bravo et merci encore RP. Love U



Moi aussi. J'adore le CD On the Water. 
J'adore ce groupe. Grosse base bien grasse, un synthé qui réalise toutes les harmonies, un vrai batteur pour un beat machinal et un chanteur charismatique incroyable. Bravo et merci encore RP. Love U
Nailed it
 SnapDragon66 wrote:

Possibly the most odd vocal performance I've ever seen, but a good listen.



I like how it smells, good mouth feel, crunchy.
 mikegrinker wrote:
Something unique hear. Something a little courageous?
 

Look after the king of R n R please 
Possibly the most odd vocal performance I've ever seen, but a good listen.
Something unique hear. Something a little courageous?
 itsme_bygolly wrote:

There exists a tension in America concerning the use of referring to a Jewish person as a Jew. In many contexts it is used pejoratively. But still, I am confused as to how this is relevant or why we are discussing it.
 
I think someone experiencing mild paranoia heard "Tell a Jew" when the actual words are "Challenge you".

For the first 30 seconds I was ready to press the button on this, but the more I lestened the better it got.
SPROCKETS!
Sounds like a band that takes itself too seriously. 
 nottheusualkind wrote:
There is a Kraftwerk influence all over this one!
 

I thought it was Nintendo!
I like the band and the singer but there's something about him that suggests he's the winner of tonight's karaoke contest...
 dwhayslett wrote:

I don't think there was disparagement of Jews or "a Jew", overt or implied, in the original comment.

I'm not aware that "a Jew" is considered racist.

Please enlighten us as to what, exactly, you're on about.
 
"Jew" is one of those words that with the slightest inflection in English transforms it to an epithet. The preferred English anti-racist reference is "Jewish People".
 dwhayslett wrote:

I don't think there was disparagement of Jews or "a Jew", overt or implied, in the original comment.

I'm not aware that "a Jew" is considered racist.

Please enlighten us as to what, exactly, you're on about.
 
There exists a tension in America concerning the use of referring to a Jewish person as a Jew. In many contexts it is used pejoratively. But still, I am confused as to how this is relevant or why we are discussing it.
Highly inoffensive.
 powerhuge wrote:

Je suis un américain qui a vécu en France. Ça me fait plaisir de voir des commentaires en Francais en Radio Paradis!

 

 Actuel wrote:

C'est le fun de voir un commentaire en français sur RP, je suis du Québec !
 
 Actuel wrote:

C'est le fun de voir un commentaire en français sur RP, je suis du Québec !
 

 westslope wrote:

Nous autres, on habite l'interieur de la province de Colombie-Britannique.
 
Quel est le rapport ?? 
I love them
 Chumbawamba-1984 wrote:
Blind test: Do you hear Tom Jones's voice?
 
No - and whatever his voice is telling you to do, you probably shouldn't do it.
 ai63 wrote:
I greatly appreciate the lyrics being posted! It’s certainly growing on me
 

Me too, I would have never figured them out.
 25demayo wrote:

Et moi de la Caroline du Nord
 
Nous autres, on habite l'interieur de la province de Colombie-Britannique.
 lizardking wrote:
 MrStatenIsle wrote:
Replying to Comment: Future Islands - Spirit

After years of toying with names relating to volcanic activity and continental drift, the band finally settled on 'Future Islands'.

From the wiki page: 
The name is meant to be vague. ... We were either gonna be called Already Islands or Future Shoes. Because, seriously, you don't know what future shoes look like, but you know you'd want a pair! (you know?). So after deciding Already Shoes was a bad name, we combined them to Future Islands. That's the boring truth, sorry!
—William Cashion, stated to BMore Musically Informed – September 30, 2009.[26]

I like your band-name story, though the real story is pretty funny too.  Future Shoes WOULD HAVE been a dumb name, likewise Already Islands; Future Islands does seem to fit better....Long Live RP and oddly named bands!!
 
Already Future Shoes Islands
 25demayo wrote:

Et moi de la Caroline du Nord
 


Very cool & a bit retro
I greatly appreciate the lyrics being posted! It’s certainly growing on me
Hear this track  a LOT  on RP, would love to hear other stuff from the band.
 MrStatenIsle wrote:
After years of toying with names relating to volcanic activity and continental drift, the band finally settled on 'Future Islands'.

From the wiki page: 
The name is meant to be vague. ... We were either gonna be called Already Islands or Future Shoes. Because, seriously, you don't know what future shoes look like, but you know you'd want a pair! (you know?). So after deciding Already Shoes was a bad name, we combined them to Future Islands. That's the boring truth, sorry!
—William Cashion, stated to BMore Musically Informed – September 30, 2009.[26]

I like your band-name story, though the real story is pretty funny too.  Future Shoes WOULD HAVE been a dumb name, likewise Already Islands; Future Islands does seem to fit better....Long Live RP and oddly named bands!!
 malotv78 wrote:
Merci à mes amis américains de RP pour ces excellentes découvertes musicales ! Bravo depuis Paris
 

Actuel wrote:
C'est le fun de voir un commentaire en français sur RP, je suis du Québec ! 
 
Et moi de la Caroline du Nord
 malotv78 wrote:
Merci à mes amis américains de RP pour ces excellentes découvertes musicales ! Bravo depuis Paris
 
C'est le fun de voir un commentaire en français sur RP, je suis du Québec !
Is there a zero rating??
Isakov is the best!
After years of toying with names relating to volcanic activity and continental drift, the band finally settled on 'Future Islands'.
 nottheusualkind wrote:
There is a Kraftwerk influence all over this one!
 

Actually, the segue from Peter Murphy today to this shows the direct influence, especially in the vocal stylings.
It's so good to know that, in these grim days of manufactured, (insert your country's name here)'s Got Talent and X-Factor-influenced music-for-the-proles, there are still musical artistes and bands who have a distinct, instantly recognisable style.  Future Islands is such an outfit;  see also Arctic Monkeys, Alt-J, War on Drugs, and many more.  It's also good to know that I can hear them all here on Radio Paradise, so hats off to Bill, Rebecca and the team! 
 nottheusualkind wrote:
There is a Kraftwerk influence all over this one!
 
Yes, and that's a good band to be influenced by, but imagine how much more "unusual" this guy's vocals would sound if he were singing in German.
There is a Kraftwerk influence all over this one!
Very good artists. Love them
7 --> 8   
I don't think than the music of Future Islands can product such sentences ...

Be cool men.

I love this group
Merci à mes amis américains de RP pour ces excellentes découvertes musicales ! Bravo depuis Paris
 A Youtuber made very nice videoclips to songs of Future Islands, Grimes, Porches and other bands. His name is David Dean Burkhart.
These guys seem to be Bill's latest obsession. This is like the 4th different track I've heard by these guys in recent weeks.

NOT that I'm complaining... I like everything I've heard so far!
RE: "Don't let them casserole for you"
unless it's greenbeen
 Lemodular wrote:
I hear Fine Young Cannibals
 
Yes, a lot of '80s influences, even though these guys weren't even born until the mid-1980s.
 VH1 wrote:


YOU FIND THIS FUNNY? FXXXING RACIST!!!!!!! 


And no body else here finds this offensive and antisemitic?


Interesting! Very interesting!

Evil triumphs when a good man stands by and does nothing!!!!
 
The only thing offensive is your use of F###ING instead of the actual word FUCKING.  
And I have this gem of a tune (even with the 'sounds like' you're so offended by) rated at a 9.  Long Live RP!!
 VH1 wrote:


YOU FIND THIS FUNNY? FXXXING RACIST!!!!!!! 


And no body else here finds this offensive and antisemitic?


Interesting! Very interesting!

Evil triumphs when a good man stands by and does nothing!!!!
 
I don't think there was disparagement of Jews or "a Jew", overt or implied, in the original comment.

I'm not aware that "a Jew" is considered racist.

Please enlighten us as to what, exactly, you're on about.
 VH1 wrote:


YOU FIND THIS FUNNY? FXXXING RACIST!!!!!!! 




And no body else here finds this offensive and antisemitic?




Interesting! Very interesting!

Evil triumphs when a good man stands by and does nothing!!!!
 

It does sound like that's what he was singing. Just chalk it up to Misheard Lyrics. I had a friend who thought MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" was really "King Tustus." All ears are different.
 VH1 wrote:


YOU FIND THIS FUNNY? FXXXING RACIST!!!!!!! 




And no body else here finds this offensive and antisemitic?




Interesting! Very interesting!

Evil triumphs when a good man stands by and does nothing!!!!
 
Did you have your pills today?
 Redpoint wrote:
"tell a Jew, tell a Jew, tell a Jeeewwww"
 

YOU FIND THIS FUNNY? FXXXING RACIST!!!!!!! 


And no body else here finds this offensive and antisemitic?


Interesting! Very interesting!

Evil triumphs when a good man stands by and does nothing!!!!
I'm upping to a 9.
 hayduke2 wrote:

flashback to a figure drawing class I taught wherein I had Kraftwork playing as the model assumed a series of 30 second poses, many of the students, as well as the model told me it worked  : )

Future Island rock 

 
Ha, something to remember for a lifetime I would think.
 Lemodular wrote:
I hear Fine Young Cannibals
 
. . . run through a garbage disposal, drained into the waste-water lines, & retrieved from the sewage-treatment plant.
{#Dancingbanana_2}
PHUCK REPUGS
 Proclivities wrote:

casserole

 


 Lemodular wrote:
I hear Fine Young Cannibals

 
Me Too! 
I hear Fine Young Cannibals
Smacks of Carol Pope from Rough Trade.
Almost three years later and this is still so fresh, so uplifting, eh wolfy1?  

Fabulous pop tune.  A certain originality, no doubt.  This is synth pop at its best. 
 FluorideFreeMN wrote:
Growing on me with each listen - bumping from 6 to 8 :)

 
Seems to be the thing with Future Islands. First time hear it's like what?? And by the third you're hooked. 

For dreams come to those who let them in their caribou...ooo oooo ooo


Growing on me with each listen - bumping from 6 to 8 :)
How about some Spirit, Future Games next {#Wave}
"tell a Jew, tell a Jew, tell a Jeeewwww"
Billy Swan....right?
 DrLex wrote:
Don't let them casserole for you

 
{#Clap}
 DrLex wrote:
Don't let them casserole for you

 
The only thing I can hear now, thx!{#Eek}
Love the bass line...
Don't let them casserole for you
A bit like "Blitz Nouveau" genre?  Classix Nouveaux "Nasty Little Green Men "  ( I think that is the name of the track ) - would be a  good segue Bill.. just sayin'
 Proclivities wrote:

I would too, but I would rather be listening to Kraftwerk than most other bands anyhow.

 
flashback to a figure drawing class I taught wherein I had Kraftwork playing as the model assumed a series of 30 second poses, many of the students, as well as the model told me it worked  : )

Future Island rock 
twilight zone TV theme song ?? 
 Ditto. Exactly what I was thinking. I like the guy's voice although really don't appreciate the synth-pop 80s backbeat of this song.

SurlyRon wrote:
Really reminded me of Roland Gift of the Fine Young Cannibals

 


I keep thinking these guys are a German syntho-pop group from the early 80's.

Me likee.{#Bananajam}
I don't like pop, but this is outstanding , even in XXI century 
He's quite emotional, saw him live and can say he was drenched in sweat within minutes.

 
Typesbad wrote:
Is it just me or does this sound like it hurts this guy to sing?

 


Shame more folks don't appreciate how great these guys are. Had the pleasure of seeing them live a year ago and they're GREAT. 

ppopp wrote:
Some really corny tunes being played on rp this afternoon. Must mean we are due for something quite splendid.

 


Really reminded me of Roland Gift of the Fine Young Cannibals
Some really corny tunes being played on rp this afternoon. Must mean we are due for something quite splendid.
Is it just me or does this sound like it hurts this guy to sing?

                                                At the bottom of the Ocean there's water.
                                            Waits and waits until we sound like Pia Mater.
                                            And we don't abuse this faith with such ethics
                                My personal choice would be a circus tent on man made island.
                                      
Great lyrics/music , great song, great feelings 👏🏼⚡️
RP should play "Fall From Grace" from this album....that would shake it up a bit ;)
And people complain about Talking Heads?   Ok but kinda oddd!!!      {#Grumpy}
 Ag3nt0rang3 wrote:
I'd rather be listening to Kraftwerk.

 
I would too, but I would rather be listening to Kraftwerk than most other bands anyhow.