The Psychedelic Furs

There are those who find the voice of Richard Butler, lead singer of the Psychedelic Furs,
ineffably fascinating. There are also those who run from the room upon hearing his unique
vocal cords. Butler sounds like George Jones imitating Bryan Ferry: the sound escapes
through clenched teeth, a thin croon that's rough and buzzy in the high notes, fruity and
fulsome in the low ones. Butler's voice carries Forever Now, the Furs' third albu... More >

It's not band breakdown (Duncan Kilburn's sax replaced, John Ashton's guitar gone) nor pop sellout (Todd Rundgren in for Steve Lillywhite at the board) nor tired songcraft (hookier than the junk-punk debut if more ornate than the powerhouse follow-up) that makes this quite entertaining album less than credible. It's the half-life of cynicism as a public stance. Last time Richard Butler's surprising new emotionality made for a winning world-weariness, but this time it sounds just slightly pat, more or less what you'd expect from a quite likable phony. (Grade: A-)