Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 8.5
Production: 8.0
Originality: 8.5
Tracklisting
2. The Mountain
3. She's Walking Out
4. Helicopters
5. In the End
6. Oh Shoplifter
7. Interlude
8. Halo the Harpoon
9. It Takes Time
10. Deestroyer
11. Baby Blues
12. The House We Live In
There seems to be a fine line between the bands recreating the dark, melodic sounds of post-punk these days; there are the good ones and the bad ones. It is as simple as that. The Stills are one of the good ones. Their debut, “Logic Will Break Your Heart”, was one of the most original and mature albums to come out in 2003. No matter how much you think that The Stills are just trying to sound the trumpets for the second coming of The Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen, they have a sound which is all their own. If the average listener just listens a lot closer, they will notice this. If you are below the average listener, then you have my deepest sympathy and I wish you the best in life. But really, if that is you, then “Without Feathers” will help you better understand my point.
“Without Feathers” is not the same album as “Logic Will Break Your Heart”. Their debut was dark with light edges. Their sophomore effort is light with dark edges. Many fans may be shocked to realize that the opening track, “In the Beginning”, has a very upbeat feel with the sounds of slamming pianos. “The Mountain” creeps out of the shadows with its atmospheric flourishes until drummer Dave Hamelin breaks the light with another driving beat that leads up to one of the bands most rewarding songs. The pianos of “She’s Walking Out” glide so beautifully that you may expect to see snow falling from above. That is exactly what the songs on this album are like, snow flakes. At first glance, or listen, they may appear to be the same, but like each snow flake, they are completely different. That is what is so striking about this release, is its ability to notice new things each time you listen to it. The influences of bands like The Smiths are still there, most notably in the song “Oh Shoplifter” (and not because The Smiths have a song with a similar title), but it incorporates other noticeable sounds by past masters, such as the late, great Nick Drake on “In the End”.
The growth that The Stills have gone through is truly stunning. This isn’t to say that “Logic Will Break Your Heart” was young and incomplete, it’s just that when most bands reach their sophomore album, they fall into that notorious slump and releases an album that seems rushed. The Stills had to have done anything but rushed this album because the more you grace your ears with it, the closer its beauty gets to you. The lyrics have matured as well. On “Logic Will Break Your Heart”, the band spoke of a depression that had them thinking of throwing grenades at Christmas choirs. Now, the lyrics seem much more focused: “…I rode through your town…with clowns and a crowd…with no hopes at all”.
The brilliance of this album should not go by unnoticed with its swirling melodies and moods that give off the feel of warming up next to a fire while the dead of winter rages outside. It is sharp, glorious, and complex all at the same time. It does not challenge you to hear it, but more, welcomes you to come along as it unravels all its beauty.