Travels with Myself and Another by Future of the Left

Future of the Left Travels with Myself and Another

84
ChoruScore Critic consensus / 100

Released Jun 22, 2009 4AD

Established consensus 20 professional reviews Updated Aug 25, 2026

Broadly positive consensus

Future of the Left's Travels with Myself and Another detonates with concentrated fury and brittle wit, earning its reputation as a high-water mark for concise, corrosive art-rock.

How ChoruScore works

Critics' Top Tracks

The songs critics returned to most

01

Arming Eritrea

6 critic mentions

“Arming Eritrea" in which a catchy chant backed by killer rhythm section builds to an anthemic climax” — Sputnik Music
02

You Need Satan More Than He Needs You

7 critic mentions

“Everyday evil is a common theme on Travels with Myself and Another, whether it's the hilariously pragmatic Satanist of "You Need Satan More Than He Needs You” — AllMusic
03

Lapsed Catholics

7 critic mentions

“Album finale ‘Lapsed Catholics’ contains the few brief moments of respite on here” — Clash Music
Full critic consensus

Future of the Left's Travels with Myself and Another detonates with concentrated fury and brittle wit, earning its reputation as a high-water mark for concise, corrosive art-rock. Critics consistently point to the record's pummeling clarity and sardonic lyricism as its chief strengths, and across professional reviews the consensus score sits at 84.2/100 from 20 reviews, signaling broad critical approval. Standout tracks repeatedly named by reviewers include “Arming Eritrea”, “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You”, “Lapsed Catholics”, “Chin Music”, and “Stand By Your Manatee”, each cited for marrying hooky melodies to aggressive guitars or grimly funny storytelling.

Track Ratings

How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.

View:
1

Arming Eritrea

6 mentions
100
02:57
2

Chin Music

5 mentions
76
01:56
3

The Hope That House Built

7 mentions
69
03:41
4

Throwing Bricks At Trains

6 mentions
71
02:36
5

I Am Civil Service

5 mentions
42
02:17
6

Land of My Formers

4 mentions
15
02:47
7

You Need Satan More Than He Needs You

7 mentions
92
02:46
8

That Damned Fly

3 mentions
55
02:07
9

Stand By Your Manatee

4 mentions
60
02:08
10

Yin / Post-Yin

5 mentions
38
02:54
11

Drink Nike

4 mentions
49
02:33
12

Lapsed Catholics

7 mentions
82
04:15

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What Critics Are Saying

Deep insights from 20 critics who reviewed this album

Sputnik Music logo

Sputnik Music

Unknown
Unknown date
100

Critic's Take

Future of the Left's Travels with Myself and Another is, in the reviewer's words, the most refreshing noise rock release of the year, and the record's best songs - notably “Arming Eritrea” and “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You” - showcase that blend of pop hooks with an uncompromising vision. The opener “Arming Eritrea” builds from a catchy chant into an anthemic climax, while “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You” is a droll highlight where silly, sharp lyrics land amid a thick wall of sound. Tight, 33-minute songwriting and abrasive-yet-melodic synths make these best tracks on Travels with Myself and Another endlessly listenable. The album's combination of harsh playing, absurdist humor and irresistible vocal harmonies is why these songs stand out.

Key Points

  • The best song, "Arming Eritrea", is best for its catchy chant and anthemic climax built on a killer rhythm section.
  • The album's core strengths are tight, concise songcraft, abrasive-yet-melodic hooks, and sardonic, playful lyrics.

Themes

noise rock catchy melodies sardonic humor synth textures tight songcraft

Critic's Take

Future of the Left deliver on Travels with Myself and Another with a snarling, maximal attack that makes the best tracks - “Lapsed Catholics” and “Stand By Your Manatee” - feel like glorious assaults. Nate Adams writes in a punchy, mordant voice, praising the album's vicious riffs and brittle wit while admiring how keyboards are wielded as weapons rather than adornments. He singles out “Lapsed Catholics” for its four-minute burn and best riff, and crowns “Stand By Your Manatee” the album highlight, both standing out for muscular music and black humor. The review reads like a dare: bleak, hilarious, and uncompromising - exactly why listeners ask about the best songs on Travels with Myself and Another.

Key Points

  • Stand By Your Manatee is the album highlight for its muscular music and dark humor.
  • The album's strengths are abrasive instrumentation, sharp lyrics, and mordant wit.

Themes

anger and sarcasm nihilism black humor abrasive instrumentation

Critic's Take

Future Of The Left sound like a band finally unshackled on Travels with Myself and Another, and the best songs here prove it. The bruising opener “Arming Eritrea” explodes from a misleadingly gentle doodle into raw fury, while the joyfully venomous “That Damned Fly” keeps the rage sounding exuberant. There are surprising melodic gains too, from the gorgeous harmonies of “Throwing Bricks At Trains” to the respite of lead single “The Hope That House Built”, all of which explain why fans ask about the best tracks on Travels with Myself and Another. The record closes with the devastating, anthemic “Lapsed Catholics”, the sort of finish that makes the album feel like Andy Falkous at his most exposed and effective.

Key Points

  • “Lapsed Catholics” is best for its emotional rawness and anthemic burst after an intimate opening.
  • The album’s core strengths are concentrated fury, precision instrumentation, and sudden melodic hooks.

Themes

rage tight instrumentation witty cynicism underrated/artistic struggle concise high-energy songwriting
Clash Music logo

Clash Music

Unknown
May 14, 2009
90

Critic's Take

Future Of The Left keep the pyrotechnics minimal but the impact maximal on Travels with Myself and Another, and the best songs - “Arming Eritrea” and “Chin Music” - shove that point home with feral riffs and a sudden, jarring silence. The reviewer revels in the band’s ability to be both brutal and inspiring, praising how “The Hope That House Built” marries bass terror with grandeur. Album closer “Lapsed Catholics” is singled out for its rare tenderness, a near-flamenco respite before guitars scream back, making it one of the record’s most direct moments. This is an album to play loud, because its short, sharp songs deliver concentrated thrills while lingering questions about modern British masculinity persist.

Key Points

  • Arming Eritrea is the best for its feral riffs and unified, sweeping statement of intent.
  • The album’s core strengths are its concise, visceral energy and the lyrical tension around modern British masculinity.

Themes

British masculinity visceral rock energy nostalgia and loss brevity and intensity

Critic's Take

Future of the Left never sound coy on Travels with Myself and Another; Jason Crock leans on visceral images and jagged praise to pin down the best tracks. He spotlights “Arming Eritrea” as a screaming, indelible opener that could fund a revolt, and praises “Chin Music” and “Land of My Formers” for trading keyboards for searing guitar tones. Crock singles out “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You” as theatrical and pummeling, then points to the woozy march of “The Hope That House Built” as an existential call-to-arms. The voice is blunt, sardonic, and celebratory, making clear the best songs on Travels with Myself and Another are those that marry snarling music with sharper lyrical purpose.

Key Points

  • The best song is "Arming Eritrea" because it is called the screaming, indelible opening track that defines the album's energy.
  • The album's core strengths are searing guitar tones, snarling energy, and lyrics that move beyond cleverness into thoughtful introspection.

Themes

angry guitars existentialism satire of small-town life duality/binaries pummeling energy

Critic's Take

Future of the Left make clear on Travels with Myself and Another that they have sharpened their fury into something fuller and more muscular. The reviewer's voice privileges songs like “Throwing Bricks at Trains” and “Lapsed Catholics” as examples of sardonic storytelling and moral bite, while noting how “The Hope That House Built” and “Yin / Post-Yin” reveal playful, melodic facets. Readers searching for the best songs on Travels with Myself and Another will find the record's strengths in its balance of bracing beats, layered codas, and merciless wit. Overall the review positions these tracks as the album's high points because they fuse narrative sting with muscular arrangements and memorable lines.

Key Points

  • The best song is "Throwing Bricks At Trains" because its sardonic storytelling and attention-getting opening establish the album's narrative and tonal peak.
  • The album's core strengths are its merciless wit, sardonic storytelling, and fuller, more muscular sound that refines the band's post-hardcore aggression.

Themes

everyday evil sardonic storytelling materialism anger and wit isolation

Critic's Take

Future of the Left’s Travels with Myself and Another finds the band sharpening its absurdist bite while expanding textural complexity, and the best songs here - notably “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You” and “The Hope That House Built” - show that shift in microcosm. The record trades some of its debut’s pale repetition for guitar solos and a more careful sense of composition, so the best tracks on Travels with Myself and Another pair dark humor with muscular arrangements. “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You” sneaks from cheeky into a roaring outro, while “The Hope That House Built” slows the tempo and delivers a hook that proves accessibility can still sting. These highlights explain why the album feels like a surer, more accomplished statement from the band.

Key Points

  • The best song, “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You”, is a doom-laden, catchy highlight that evolves from cheeky to a roaring outro.
  • The album’s core strength is its tighter composition and added textures that balance absurd lyrics with industrial, noisy muscle.

Themes

postmodernism industrial gloom satire of rock tropes complex composition

Critic's Take

Future of the Left make on Travels with Myself and Another a coruscating, erudite sculpture of aggression that punches far above its runtime. The best tracks - “Arming Eritrea”, “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You” and “Drink Nike” - showcase the band’s knack for marrying humongous art-rock fury with hilariously obtuse lyrics. The opener “Arming Eritrea” is a sarcastic howl of guitars and drums like bombs, while “Drink Nike” packs an album’s worth of wry observations into under two and a half minutes. Overall, the album’s economy and wit make these songs the clearest answers to queries about the best tracks on Travels with Myself and Another.

Key Points

  • The best song, "Arming Eritrea", is the album's opener and a sarcastic, explosive statement of intent.
  • The album's core strengths are its economy, wit, and concentrated art-rock aggression.

Themes

satire of modern life aggressive art-rock wit vs. aggression brevity/economy

Critic's Take

Future of the Left deliver a furious, tightly wound set on Travels with Myself and Another, where the band squeeze every drop of juice from the bass and do not miss the microphone. The review singles out “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You” for its gritty, stomping synths and names “Drink Nike” as a penultimate highlight, calling it one of the best realisations of Andy Falkous's formula. The writer also praises the concise, cynical lyricism on “Stand By Your Manatee”, cementing why these are the best tracks on the album. The tone remains admiring throughout, noting that there are no bad tracks while still steering listeners to these standouts.

Key Points

  • Drink Nike is singled out as one of the best realisations of Andy Falkous's formula, making it the album's top highlight.
  • The album's core strengths are its furious musicianship, gritty synths, hooky rock songwriting, and concise cynical lyrics.

Themes

ferocious musicianship gritty synths hooky original rock cynical lyrics

Critic's Take

Future of the Left make clear on Travels with Myself and Another that the best songs - like “Arming Eritrea” and “I Am Civil Service” - marry sneering wit with full-throttle rock, and you get thrills where snark meets genuine muscle. The record also highlights “Chin Music” as a vivid, depraved bar-fight vignette, and “That Damned Fly” for its cleaner, still-fiery rock sound. The reviewer keeps a cockeyed, sarcastic relish throughout, praising how these tracks turn baser instincts into anthems without losing cleverness. Overall, the best tracks on Travels with Myself and Another are those that balance Falkous's acidic lyrics with the band’s snarling, energetic attack.

Key Points

  • “Arming Eritrea” is the album's best track because it announces the record's frenetic, anthemic intent with full-throttle speed rock.

Themes

anger lust and base instincts clever snark raw rock energy consistency between melody and chaos