“Area”
from the EP Area
2005
Reason #1,046 to love the Futureheads: Not only do they have the bullocks to quote “Cotton Eye Joe,” they get away with doing it in this song’s closing frame. Among late-’05 exclusive peeps, “Area” is better than “Juicebox” and has a way cooler name than that Liars track. Brewis kicks a choo-choo chug a lot like “He Knows,” but we’re spared the massive breakdown for something more transitive: Eight bars of well-harmonized onomatopoeia that could compete with My Morning Jacket for year’s best wordless chorus. If the hook seems to lack the magnetism of anything on the debut record, give it some time, or a few repeat spins. Meanwhile, listen to Hyde talk home security — “The doors have metal plates/ Fitted to the inside of the exit that is through the front gate” — with bemusing intensity.