VNV Nation - Future Perfect

VNV Nation want us to "make our future perfect." And what a nice sentiment that is. With all the destruction, violence and inequality surrounding us, music that gives us an uplifting feeling, and provides encouragement to make the world we live in a better place, can't be bad right? But... I've wavered back and forth with my opinion of this album. At first, I was annoyed. It left me feeling, well, ill. After several listens, I began to warm up to the music and the message being presented. It's music that becomes more tolerable the more you listen to it. It's catchy. However, this isn't an album I want to listen to over and over.

The album opens with a multi-language statement urging us to take notice that this is our world and our people, and that we should help build "tomorrow for everyone". This theme is continued throughout. We are presented with the idea that we need to step back and realize what we are doing to ourselves, to our planet, to our future. We are overwhelmed with pure emotion, and it is that emotion that makes the album. Needless to say, the actual music is simply VNV style EBM. Nothing new here. It gets you dancing and moving, exactly what works on the dance floor. The strength is found in the lyrics.

Now, I'm no stranger to the inspirational effect of VNV's lyrics. "...farewell to pasts... forget your fears... you will have everything... you will be strong..." (from "Arclight" on Empires) helped to give me the courage to leave my comfortable existence and relocate my life to Toronto, despite extreme apprehension. And on Future Perfect, they once again hit us with words to live by.

"Cargon" is one of my favourite tracks. Boding with my personal philosophy about the nature of humanity to make ourselves into deities, it boldly states "we kill everything" to sum up exactly what we are doing, except for the "million points of light" standing on our streets to leave behind after we are gone. It really points out the absurdity of humanity and our obsessive need to build things and have control.

VNV even tries its hand at a "noise" song, with Structure. If you can call it that. It's beat-driven and danceable, no one can deny that... But it definitely doesn't stand up in the rhythmic noise genre. It's more just heavy techno, with some distortion thrown in. A minute before the end, an underlying melody line is added, that I think really adds to the song, however unfortunately, only for a minute.

"Fearless" is another of the dance floor tracks (with "Epicentre" also winning my favour), with a repeating chorus that reminds me of Stuart Smalley standing in front of a mirror, convincing himself that people like him. Which of course, as the song says, is his "stupid ritual", that allows him to set himself free. Whatever works for him I guess. And I can't deny I like the yelling. I'm a fan of yelling.

By the time we reach the final two tracks, I'm ready to turn the album off. Too much VNV for me. But I do think they have done well with this album (despite my personal preferences to lean towards things with a bit of a harder edge). As I remember someone once telling me about music, "Don't just listen to it, feel it." This is one disc that should be felt, and not just heard.

-- April 2002

 

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