April Birthdays 
I have had this CD for a week now, and have been slowly trying to absorb it. It’s THICK. There’s a LOT going on here, folks – this ain’t you grandpa’s surf music! I’m a huge fan of the TomorrowMen, LOVED their first album, and was extremely excited to get this album. And you know what?? It DOES NOT disappoint! In any way, shape or form! This is just an absolutely GLORIOUS piece of work, and hands down my favorite surf album of the year so far. Hell, hands down my favorite album of the year of anything I’ve heard in any genre so far! (Though, both Iron Maiden and Motorhead have new albums coming out in the next three weeks…) Danny and Ferenc are dear friends, and my compliments could easily be construed as just me being nice to my friends. Well, that’s just bullshit. I mean every word of this review! This is a highly ambitious, imaginative and creative album – and it’s truly an ALBUM, it makes the most sense as a whole, not just a collection of wayward songs – with some of the most adventurous surf music you are likely to ever hear.
The main reason behind this is Danny’s utterly unique songwriting and arranging – he’s not one to rely on established formulas when it comes to either. His chord progressions and melodies (and the implied harmonies) are unusual and complex, reflecting his background in more jazzy and avant garde music. But, in my opinion, the most interesting thing about Danny’s music is his arrangements, which are dynamic and unpredictable and different for each song. No A/A/B/A or A/A/B/A/B/C/A/B formulas for him! The arrangements tend to be much more linear in the sense that parts don’t just repeat but rather build towards the final climax, with constant variations being introduced as the songs unfold, whether new parts, short bridges, little unexpected twists and turns, or simply variations on the previous themes. It’s a very classical way of composing, actually, and reveals Danny as a truly a masterful arranger, a talent that is often underappreciated, especially in surf. (Funny enough, another guy that I think is truly outstanding in this regard is Ferenc! Just listen to Frankie & the Pool Boys’ most recent album , “Cap’n Coconuts” – remarkable depth in those songs.)
With these classical and jazz elements in the music, I’d say that the TomorrowMen’s music definitely qualifies as prog-surf, BUT! It’s always about the song, not about wankery and showing off musical chops (though they’ve got those in spades!), which makes this music still highly accessible to everybody, not just musos. Musos will definitely appreciate the musical depth apparent after even cursory analysis, but what really stands out is how damn CATCHY and GORGEOUS these melodies and songs really are! Some of the songs are a bit shy and take a few listens to show a bit of ankle, but soon after the dress will be on the floor! ;) Really, pretty much every song here has the ‘ear-worm’ thing going on, it really sticks with you. One more thing: it’s obvious that the band approached this album with great ambition, which I think is fantastic, as I love ambition! (Though not braggadocio!) It’s clear the band, no doubt encouraged by the great reception of their debut, aimed to create a masterpiece here. Being the stereotypical artist, I know that Danny is wracked with self-doubt in this regard, but all I can say to that is: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, BOYS! You DID make a masterpiece, as far as I’m concerned, and I suspect that most surf music fans will whole-heartedly agree with me!
My three favorite tracks, my personal holy trinity of this album, are:
1) “New Democracy” – the feel-good song of the year, hands down! This is just a ridiculously gorgeous song, with a melody that seems to unfold without end, maybe like traveling through layers of time?? 
It spirals up, up and away, anchored by a bouncy rhythm section that just makes you want to dance! I absolutely LOVE the crazy phaser effect in the chorus section (at least I think that’s the chorus section!), usually a big no-no for surf music, but it works beautifully here – which actually in many ways is a good way to describe the T-Men: they often do things that are anathema to surf music, and yet not only make them work, but produce some of the most sublime surf music ever– as in this song! Truly, New Democracy is one of the best songs I've heard in a long time, in any genre - when it goes into the percussion part towards the end and then picks back up, it gives me the shivers every time, but then most of the song does, anyway. 2) “Tempus Fugitive” - LOVE THIS SO MUCH, the beat, the textures, the melody, it just makes me laugh from pleasure, it really does - every time I hear it I start cracking up!! It’s a truly great groove, even if a bit angular, but that's what makes it even cooler! The looping bass line makes it sound as if a Krautrock band like Neu or Can was playing surf music! 3) “The Man Who Couldn't Tell Time” – I’ve known this song for quite a while now as it was included on a Continental compilation, but I loved it the first time I heard it, and today it’s simply one of my all-time favorite surf songs by anybody! Love the backwards effects, the creepy atmosphere accented by occasional organ chords and undergirded by a spy-ish bass riff. The lengthy bridge is a thing of wonder, especially how it keeps building until it gets to the final part where it sounds like the dimension of time turns in on itself! It’s just three descending chromatic chords combined with the snare playing smaller subdivisions of the beat and seasoned again with a dash of that psychedelic phaser effect, simple, but OH SO EFFECTIVE! It probably would have been best left unanalyzed, and just revel in the wonder of it all, but damn, too late! The whole track sounds like it would make a perfect theme for a Hitchcock time-travel murder mystery (and I’m guessing the boys knew it, making the title a sly reference to Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much).
The amazing thing is that these three songs sound nothing alike, they’re all completely different. But then, each song on the album sculpts its own identity, and really, all of them are pretty great, none far behind my three favorites above. “Parsec's Paradox” is epic and ambitious and layered; with the shocking cello breakdown – I think that must be some sort of a first for surf music! “Back To Reality” to my ears sounds like a tip of a hat to the amazing El Ray, sporting an edgy Jazzmaster surf/indie lead tone, clean arpeggiated rhythm guitar, psych-garage influence, and modern, slightly angular beats, all elements often employed by El Ray. And it’s also just a phenomenal song! “Tunak Tunak Tun” is the highest energy song on the album, and the only cover, of a Bollywood classic. The sheer craziness and near chaos of this song is something to behold, with multiple melodies flying around over a thick rhythm, truly a masterful arrangement. This song is just so much FUN, especially once you’ve seen the goofy video. Even without the video, the sense of fun is palpable, and it’s impossible to not move with the music. “Adrienne’s Song” is a ballad that Danny wrote for his lovely wife Adrienne. It is a deeply touching piece of music, heartfelt and emotional. The melody grows more intense through the entire song – symbolic of the love for his partner of nearly 30 years now? Once the bridge kicks in with the tremolo-picked guitar, well, forget it, game over, here come the waterworks! It’s a simply gorgeous song - and damn you, Danny, for making the rest of us look bad for not writing a song for our wives!! “All Summer in a Day” is sunny and uplifting, “Mercury in Retrograde” is moody and gorgeous, reminiscent of the Bambi Molesters. Well, I better stop and not write about the rest of the songs, since this review is already WAY too long! But trust me, I’ve only scratched the surface, there is SO MUCH going on on this album, every listen reveals new things and I suspect it will for many months to come.
OK, I’ve been extremely complimentary so far, but if I had to nitpick, I’d have to point to “Rack Em Up”, the most trad surf song on the album. Though I’m a big fan of highly diverse albums, with many different sounds and moods explored, I must admit that this track is a bit of an uneasy fit on this album full of brave new surf (hey, that would make a good album title!). Nothing wrong with the track itself, it’s a very good trad surf piece, but it just seems a bit out of place here.
Though I’ve tended to single out Danny, I should really add that the entire band is truly excellent, on fire even! We all already know what an incredible musician Ferenc is, and here his contributions go far beyond simple rhythm guitar strumming – there are myriad of textures, some done through interesting guitar tones, some through the playing itself, and Ferenc pulls it all off admirably. I know from Danny that Ferenc also added quite a bit creatively, not surprisingly, and, as Danny did with “Cap’n Coconuts”, Ferenc also contributed to the songwriting here, writing the angular, new-wave/ska-ish “Hemispherical Synchronization”, and co-writing with Danny “Mercury in Retrograde”. And Tony and Steve make up a highly effective rhythm section, with great groove as well as both power and subtlety, when either is necessary. Tony in particular has grown into a phenomenal drummer, and it’s a pleasure to listen to his playing on this album.
Finally, the packaging – it’s completely over the top, but once again reflective of the grand ambition by the band. TEN POSTCARDS, done by different artists. Some of the art is gorgeous, some absurd, some very funny. All the postcards, as real postcards do, have on the back both the descriptions of the front and some handwritten text by the sender to the addressee. The text – written by Huey Mannity from the Tunak video - was freakin' hilarious and often near genius! Truly enjoyable, and a lovely thing to check out while soaking in the incredible sounds.
Again, my apologies for making this review so long. But this is an EPIC release, and I think an epic release deserves an epic review! Seriously, I truly believe Futourism is a masterpiece of modern surf music. The TomorrowMen have accomplished a remarkable thing here. Please do yourselves a favor, and get this CD YESTERDAY, or even PAST WEEK! It’s only right….
—Ivan
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Last edited: Aug 18, 2015 21:51:38
Thank you, Danny! It came straight from the heart! Totally genuine, which is why it just kept flowing out... 
