Logic Will Break Your Heart, with its brooding post-punk soundscapes and art rock swagger, topped many a best-of list in 2003, branding
the Stills as the next
Interpol,
British Sea Power, etc. For their long-awaited follow-up,
the Stills ditched their
Joy Division and
Echo & the Bunnymen records for
Ziggy Stardust, early
Elton John, and Muswell Hillbillies-era
Kinks, resulting in a record that is the physical embodiment of polarity.
Without Feathers isn't so much a departure as it is a complete reinvention for the Montreal quartet. Only the "Killing Moon"-esque "Helicopters" and the
Spoon-worthy "Halo the Harpoons" hint at the band's eyeliner past. The earthy arrangements of Hammond organ, piano, guitar, bass, and drums that populate the rest of the album recall the group's Canadian forefather,
Neil Young. The two-punch opening onslaught of "In the Beginning" and "The Mountain" sets the tone, relying on the kind of gritty, melodic, and distinctly blue-collar aesthetic that drove
the Doves' "Some Cities" in 2005. The barrage of midtempo filler/killer that follows almost brings the album to a complete halt, but
the Stills redeem themselves on the rowdy, horn-led "It Takes Time," "Destroyer," and "Baby Blues," the latter a winsome duet with
Metric/
Broken Social Scene's
Emily Haines that shows they can balance the two styles with grace and dignity.
Without Feathers may lack its predecessor's apocalyptic vision, but it's a new direction for a group that was heading down an awfully familiar -- and extremely congested -- road. ~ James Christopher Monger