reax music magazine :: music + culture » Reviews » Future of the Left - Curses

I’m always wary of post-hardcore music, since it always seems to carry the baggage of being too arty and too insincerely tough to really catch and hold my attention.  Future of the Left, however, are a shining example of how a band can take cues from hardcore, actually move in an innovative direction with it, and in the process outshine damn near everything that came before it.  Curses bridges the gaps between bands that veer too far into math-rock with punk bands that don’t have the skill to play anything more complicated than I-IV-V progressions over fast drumming.  Future of the Left have struck a balance between being playing sharp arrangements and writing literate songs that most other bands that might sound like them have a hard time managing.  They might not be as palatable to the kids as Bloc Party or Interpol, but they’re just as good. - Tom Whelan