Future Kings of Spain - 'Future Kings of Spain' (Red Flag) Released 04/08/03

This album deceptively explodes from the stereo, with the opener 'A Place For Everything', the 'Kings debut single and you'd be forgiven for thinking this was gonna be a hard rockin' album. And despite there being a grungey undertone to the record there's lots that can be compared to plenty of early Nineties US lo-fi indie acts.

The Dublin three piece certainly know how to pen a tune and still keep things nice and fuzzy, 'Venetian Blinds' perfectly blends Pavement's 'Cut Your Hair' with current rock sensibilities, while 'One Look' sounds like a more wistful Kurt Cobain at the helm, or is that Dave Grohl?

Though the real beauty of this album is not what you can put your finger on, but what you can't. FKOS manage to encapsulate the last decade of great guitar music and include it all on this fantastic eponymous debut, almost every song having a familiar ring to it, surely the hallmark of a classic album? There's high's and lows, screeching tight panted raucous rocking and swaggering sun drenched indie-pop. By the time you hit closer 'Upside Down' and the outro's repetitive "Just stay alive, just stay alive" it's easy to have fallen in love with this album. Certainly a promising effort from these right royal Irishmen.