REVIEW:
"Faulty Intelligence" is the power-popping, T. Rex-evoking indictment that propels Future Music's point of view on XI, and it makes its point perfectly, implying every failure of mind and deed from the pre-9/11 intelligence gap to Iraq to Katrina (not to mention the faulty intelligence that trips up relationships). Like everything on this latest, it concisely compounds classic-rock influence with heartfelt, mature vision, skilled craft, and melodic charm. "Cyndi Jean" deserves a place beside "Gloria" as one of the crunchiest gems of girlfriend praising, while "Lost and Sound" has the feel of Floyd on its own dreamy terms. The best thing about this is that every song matters, no filler, just a clean wedge of sound and songwriting, with Rob Barsky and Rich Arbaugh proving that a telepathic duo can handle multi-instrumentation without seeming studio-sterile. Maybe it's true that "there's no one to blame for the hurricane," as the wonderfully compassionate "Katrina" puts it, but equally true is the tag line, "the aftermath defines who we are," and so this album defines its creators: masters of a ruefully inspired brand of chamber-rock that draws from the richness of the past, calls to a troubled present, and dares us all to face the future.
Matt Damsker (9/9/06)