As classified by the all-knowing Wikipedia machine, Future Islands is a Post-Wave band. I think Post-Wave is pretty spot on, but if I were to describe them in a little more depth I would say that Future Islands reminds me of the Postal Service's "Give Up" without Ben Gibbard's whining vocals and replacing them with Tom Waits. The trio is led by front-man Sam Herring, with J. Gerrit Welmers and William Cashion behind him.
The album is all about breaking-up and that is what helps make this an amazing album. In many of the songs Herring starts of in a soft tone, letting the rhythm of the base and drum kit and the melody of the synthesizer build the song until his vocals suddenly explode with emotion. The first song I ever heard from Future Islands was "Tin Man", and it was certainly one of those moments where I wonder what the hell is wrong with the music industry. While "Boom Boom Pow" is everywhere to be heard, I had to navigate through the deep catacombs of blog tombs to find this treasure.
After listening to "Tin Man" 20 times I decided to try there other songs and was not disappointed. "In Evening Air" holds three more gems in the opening track "Walking Through That Door", "Long Flight", and my favorite "Vireo's Eye". Enjoy.
