Featuring "Birds"

Featuring "Birds"
Studio album by Quasi
Released	April 21, 1998
Recorded	November 1997
Studio	Jackpot! Recording Studios, Portland, Oregon, United States
Genre	Indie rock electropop garage rock [1]
Length	46:42
Label	Up (US), Domino (UK)
Producer	Joanna Bolme Charlie Campbell Sam Coomes Larry Crane Tony Lash Dave Livingston Chris Slusarenko Elliott Smith Chris Takino Janet Weiss Julie Weiss
Quasi chronology
R&B Transmogrification (1997) Featuring "Birds" (1998) Field Studies (1999)

Featuring "Birds" is the third studio album by the American indie rock band Quasi. It was released in 1998 by record label Up in the US and Domino in the UK.

Several of the album's tracks were first created during sessions for Quasi's previous album, R&B Transmogrification (1997). ^[2]

Background and recording

Featuring "Birds" was recorded during November 1997 at Jackpot! Recording Studios in Portland, Oregon. ^[2]

Release

Featuring "Birds" was released on April 21, 1998, through the labels Up in the US and Domino in the UK.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Mojo	[4]
NME	8/10 [5]
Pitchfork	8.6/10 [6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
Spin	8/10 [9]
Uncut	8/10 [10]
The Village Voice	A− [11]

Featuring "Birds" has been well received by critics.

Sean Kennerly of Rolling Stone wrote: "[the album] hides gut-wrenching heartache and despair inside sugary vocal harmonies and catchy, succinct songwriting. [...] Bitterness has never sounded so sweet." ^[7] The album placed at number twenty-five on The Village Voice 's 1998 end-of-year Pazz & Jop poll. ^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sam Coomes, except "Tomorrow You'll Hide", written by Janet Weiss.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Our Happiness Is Guaranteed"	3:15
2.	"I Never Want to See You Again"	3:48
3.	"The Poisoned Well"	2:08
4.	"The Happy Prole"	1:42
5.	"Sea Shanty"	4:08
6.	"It's Hard to Turn Me On"	4:33
7.	"Nothing from Nothing"	2:44
8.	"Tomorrow You'll Hide"	2:20
9.	"California"	2:04
10.	"You Fucked Yourself"	2:36
11.	"Ape Self Prevails in Me Still"	2:12
12.	"Please Do"	2:58
13.	"I Give Up"	2:54
14.	"Birds"	1:21
15.	"Repetition"	5:05
16.	"Only Success Can Fail Me Now"	2:53

Personnel

• Sam Coomes – vocals, guitar, Roxichord, keyboards
• Janet Weiss – vocals, drums
• Charlie Campbell – orchestral guitar on "Tomorrow You'll Hide", executive producer
• Quasi – production
• Joanna Bolme – executive producer
• Larry Crane – recording engineer, executive producer
• Tony Lash – executive producer, mastering
• Dave Livingston – executive producer
• Kathy Malloy – executive producer
• Chris Slusarenko – executive producer
• Elliott Smith – executive producer
• Chris Takino – executive producer
• Julie Weiss – executive producer

References

1. https://theequasi.bandcamp.com/album/featuring-birds
2. "Featuring "Birds"". Sub Pop Mega Mart. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
3. Rabid, Jack. "Featuring "Birds" – Quasi". AllMusic . Retrieved March 18, 2015.
4. Chick, Stevie (July 2016). "Two for joy". Mojo (272): 105.
5. Empire, Kitty (September 22, 1998). "Quasi – Featuring Birds". NME . Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
6. Richard-San, Mark. "Quasi: Featuring "Birds"". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on October 4, 1999. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
7. Kennerly, Sean (April 6, 1998). "Quasi: Featuring "Birds"". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
8. Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Quasi". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  667–68. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
9. Lukas, Paul (July 1998). "Quasi: Featuring "Birds"". Spin . 14 (7): 129. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
10. Mulvey, John (July 2016). "Quasi: Featuring "Birds"". Uncut (230): 94.
11. Christgau, Robert (June 2, 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved March 18, 2015.
12. "The 1998 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice . March 2, 1999. Retrieved February 13, 2022.