The Furs were British (formed in London in 1977) but are most famous for an American movie, when John Hughes used Pretty In Pink for his film of the same name. We can’t be the only people who know them for that one tune.
They “went on hiatus” after finishing touring in 1992 and although touring resumed in 2000, Made Of Rain is their first studio album in nearly 30 years. Bad timing boys, you wait three decades years and then release an album in time for lockdown.
Wikipedia reports that the mid-1980s, the band had become a staple on the US college radio and modern rock radio stations, presumably how Yozzer noticed them. Pretty in Pink, made in 1986, is now a cult classic. The band has stayed influential, and cool, with bands from Kaiser Chiefs to the Foos sounding a bit Furs; the album Talk Talk Talk still sounds pretty good after all these years.
Waffle waffle waffle, but is this any good? A band you probably know for one song who’ve not put out an album in 30 years? Remarkably, yes. It’s excellent.
They’ve managed to keep that echoey, bouncy signature sound, and thrown in some 80s sax moments (Don’t Believe for example) while at the same time sounding bang up to date. The band’s Richard Butler might be close to the proverbial bus pass but you’d think he was a young whippersnapper chasing success.
It’s slicker than you might have expected, and the roughness of the early stuff is gone but it’s all good; they might have influenced the Foos but there’s a Foos sound here now, though always with a psychedelic twist. It also reminds us of Robert Plant’s earlier solo stuff in places, without the overly bright 80s production, or maybe even early Japan.
Try Don’t Believe, or the slower and more luscious Ash Wednesday or Tiny Hands.
One song’s called Come All Ye Faithful but this should be listened to by more than just the fanbase. Well worth checking out if you’re a grown up and listen to rock; we say grown up as it’s an album to be listened to all the way through, not tracks.
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