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IAN BLURTON’S FUTURE NOW “Crimes Of The City”
IAN BLURTON’S FUTURE NOW “Crimes Of The City”
By Dr. Abner Mality
IAN BLURTON’S FUTURE NOW may have a pretty awkward name but they’ve managed to pull off something many others have tried and failed at: creating a genuine classic hard rock sound in the vein of the 70’s. “Crimes Of The City” are one of the best attempts at this that I’ve heard in a long time.
The songwriting here is just so effortless and natural. All the tracks are in the three to four minute window that much classic rock dwells in. Not a wasted breath or riff is apparent here. Who does FUTURE NOW take inspiration from? Well, I could smell an overwhelming whiff of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT emanating from these tunes...a sharp and snappy blend of AOR/pop melodies with crunchy near-metal riffs. Mr. IAN BLURTON’s vocals are almost feminine with their high-end sweetness...they are never harsh but they just grab the ear. There’s some THIN LIZZY type twin guitar going on here, too and bits of old schoolers like HEAD EAST, CHEAP TRICK and APRIL WINE. One more modern band that FUTURE NOW brings to mind is HIGH SPIRITS, both in vocal and song structure, but with less of an emphasis on speed and more on hooks.
It all sounds pure and natural. If the band has a fault, it is that many of the songs are at much the same tempo and general structure and by the end, it starts to kind of blur and sound similar. That being said, this is as good a 70’s hard rock record as you will hear in 2024...and ballad-free, too! Hard to pick a favorite among the 10 cuts here, as the quality is very consistent. Grab on to this if you appreciate the classics!
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