Without Feathers (album)

Last updated
Without Feathers
The Stills - Without Feathers (album).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 9, 2006
Recorded20052006
Genre Indie rock
Length43:36 (US)
46:25 (UK)
Label Vice
Producer Gus Van Go
The Stills chronology
Logic Will Break Your Heart
(2003)
Without Feathers
(2006)
Oceans Will Rise
(2008)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 65/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
NME 8/10 [3]
Pitchfork 6.7/10 [4]
Prefix MagazineStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
RocklouderStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Without Feathers is the second album by Montreal indie rock band the Stills. It was released May 9, 2006 by Vice Records. The album was produced by Gus Van Go.

Contents

Emily Haines from fellow indie band Metric appeared on "Baby Blues," while Jason Collett of Broken Social Scene and Sam Roberts were featured on the track "Oh Shoplifter". [8]

The album debuted at No. 6 on the Top Heatseekers chart, but failed to hit the Billboard 200. In Canada, the album did not fare well on the charts. It premiered at No. 51 before moving out of the Top 100 the following week. The album was later released in the UK in 2007 by Drowned in Sound Recordings, including two new tracks.

Without Feathers featured a major personnel change; with the departure of original lead guitarist Greg Paquet, drummer Dave Hamelin moved to guitar and sang lead vocals on the majority of the album's tracks. It was also the first Stills album to feature keyboardist Liam O'Neil as a full-time member, and was the debut for drummer Julien Blais.

The album also marked a big change in sound, from the 1980s-influenced post-punk revivalism of their debut to a happier, more rootsy Americana-oriented approach, which Pitchfork termed "cheerful and heartfelt". [9] [10]

Track listing

US/Canada edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In the Beginning"Hamelin5:45
2."The Mountain"Hamelin, O'Neil3:57
3."She's Walking Out"Hamelin, O'Neil3:09
4."Helicopters"Fletcher4:26
5."In the End"Hamelin, O'Neil3:45
6."Oh Shoplifter"Hamelin3:23
7."Interlude"Fletcher, O'Neil1:08
8."Halo the Harpoons"Corbeil, Fletcher3:44
9."It Takes Time"Hamelin4:11
10."Destroyer"Hamelin3:11
11."Baby Blues"Hamelin3:32
12."The House We Live In"Hamelin, O'Neil3:25

UK edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In the Beginning"Hamelin5:44
2."Destroyer"Hamelin3:11
3."Helicopters"Fletcher4:23
4."The House We Live In"Hamelin, O'Neil3:26
5."It Takes Time"Hamelin4:11
6."Monsoon"Fletcher, Hamelin3:38
7."She's Walking Out"Hamelin, O'Neil3:11
8."Oh Shoplifter"Hamelin3:22
9."Outro"Fletcher, O'Neil1:10
10."Halo the Harpoons"Corbeil, Fletcher3:42
11."Baby Blues"Hamelin3:34
12."Retour à Vega"Faucon, Fletcher, Hamelin, Trenton2:57
13."The Mountain"Hamelin, O'Neil3:56

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Primal Scream Scottish rock band

Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Martin Duffy (keyboards), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drums). Barrie Cadogan has toured and recorded with the band since 2006 as a replacement after the departure of guitarist Robert "Throb" Young.

The Strokes American rock band

The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of singer Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. They were a leading group of the early-2000s indie rock revival.

Dinosaur Jr. American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984

Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name.

The Stills

The Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000 and disbanded in 2011.

Bloc Party English indie rock band

Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack, Justin Harris and Louise Bartle. Former members Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes left the band in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music. The band was formed at the 1999 Reading Festival by Okereke and Lissack. They went through a variety of names before settling on Bloc Party in 2003. Moakes joined the band after answering an advert in NME magazine, while Tong was picked via an audition. Bloc Party got their break by giving BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and Franz Ferdinand's lead singer, Alex Kapranos, a copy of their demo "She's Hearing Voices".

<i>Turn On the Bright Lights</i> 2002 studio album by Interpol

Turn On the Bright Lights is the debut studio album by American rock band Interpol, released on August 20, 2002. The album was recorded in November 2001 at Tarquin Studios in Connecticut, and was co-produced, mixed and engineered by Peter Katis and Gareth Jones. It was released on August 19, 2002 in the United Kingdom and August 20 in the United States, through independent record label Matador Records.

<i>Up the Bracket</i> 2002 studio album by The Libertines

Up the Bracket is the debut album by English indie rock band The Libertines, released in October 2002. It reached #35 in the UK Albums Chart. The album was part of a resurgence for the British indie/alternative scene and received widespread praise from critics and has quickly become considered one of the greatest albums of the 2000s.

The Thrills

The Thrills are an Irish pop band, formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland. The band was founded by lead vocalist Conor Deasy and guitarist Daniel Ryan, guitarist and bass player Padraic McMahon, pianist Kevin Horan and drummer Ben Carrigan. Their big break came with their debut album, So Much for the City, which became an Irish number one and charted at number 3 on the UK. The band's sound has been described as "inspired by classic American pop of the late '60s and early '70s" by Rovi and "an ocean-soaked, harmony-heavy homage to California's dreamy dreams, shaking ground, and unrelenting sunshine" by Pitchfork Media.

Arctic Monkeys English rock band

Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O'Malley, and Matt Helders. Former band member Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006 shortly after their debut album was released.

Crystal Castles Canadian electronic music group

Crystal Castles is a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass. The current band members are Ethan Kath and Edith Frances. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and lo-fi melancholic homemade productions. They released many limited vinyl singles between 2006 and 2007 before releasing a trilogy of critically acclaimed albums between 2008 and 2012.

Late of the Pier

Late of the Pier are an English four-piece dance-punk band from Castle Donington, England, signed to Parlophone. Their debut album Fantasy Black Channel, produced by Erol Alkan was released on 11 August 2008 by Parlophone.

<i>Konk</i> (album) 2008 studio album by The Kooks

Konk is the second album by British indie rock band The Kooks, released on 14 April 2008 on Virgin Records. Produced by Tony Hoffer, the album is named after the London studio where it was recorded, which is the property of Ray Davies. This was the last album to feature original bassist Max Rafferty.

Cloud Nothings American indie rock band

Cloud Nothings is an American indie rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States, founded by singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi. It currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Dylan Baldi, drummer Jayson Gerycz, bassist TJ Duke, and guitarist Chris Brown.

The 1975 English rock band

The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist, producer, lyricist and rhythm guitarist Matty Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer/producer George Daniel.

Wolf Alice British alternative rock band

Wolf Alice are a British alternative rock band from London. Formed in 2010 as an acoustic duo comprising singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie, since 2012 Wolf Alice have also featured bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey.

<i>Reflektor</i> 2013 album

Reflektor is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. It was released as a double album on October 28, 2013, in Canada by Sonovox Records and in the United States by Merge Records. The album was recorded in multiple studios and was co-produced by LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy, regular Arcade Fire producer Markus Dravs, and the band themselves.

<i>English Graffiti</i> 2015 studio album by The Vaccines

English Graffiti is the third studio album by English rock band The Vaccines. It was produced by Dave Fridmann, with co-production from Cole M. Greif-Neill at Fridmann's New York studio. The album was released on 25 May 2015 through Columbia Records and charted at #2 upon release. The album marked the band's first release in two years, following the Melody Calling EP, and their first full studio album release in three, following Come of Age in 2012. Young stated that Fridmann was chosen due to both his track record in making "consistently fantastic records". It is the last album recorded with drummer Pete Robertson, who left the band after completing their 2016 U.S. tour.

"Velocity Girl" is a song by British alternative rock band Primal Scream, originally released as the B-side to their second single, "Crystal Crescent", in 1986. Shortly preceding its release, Primal Scream’s frontman, Bobby Gillespie, left his post as the drummer of The Jesus and Mary Chain, recording only one album with them, the influential noise pop release Psychocandy (1985). Disentangled from their major label "whirlwind", he resumed activity with the lesser known Primal Scream, proceeding to, as Pitchfork Media later described it, "reduce the pop song to its subatomic essence: quick, breezy, quirky, and above all, exquisitely small" with "Velocity Girl". The band also recorded a slightly longer version with a second verse for Janice Long in July 1986. The song was partly inspired by the actress, model and Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick.

<i>Hymns</i> (Bloc Party album) 2016 studio album by Bloc Party

Hymns is the fifth studio album by English indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released worldwide in January 2016 on BMG. The album was recorded between March and August 2015 at Lynchmob Studios in London, following a hiatus during which Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes departed the band. It is the first album to feature new band member Justin Harris on bass and keyboards. The songs "The Love Within", "The Good News", and "Virtue" were released as singles.

<i>Head Carrier</i> 2016 studio album by Pixies

Head Carrier is the sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band the Pixies, released on September 30, 2016 on Pixiesmusic and PIAS. Produced by Tom Dalgety, and recorded at RAK Studios in London, the album is the first to feature former A Perfect Circle and Zwan bass guitarist Paz Lenchantin, who joined the band in 2014 to tour in support of its previous album, Indie Cindy.

References

  1. "Without Feathers by The Stills" . Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  2. Allmusic review
  3. NME.COM. "The Stills – NME.COM" . Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  4. "The Stills: Without Feathers Album Review – Pitchfork" . Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  5. "Album Review: The Stills – Without Feathers" . Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  6. "404 // Page Not Found – Rocklouder" . Retrieved 5 October 2016.Cite uses generic title (help)
  7. Rolling Stone review
  8. "The Stills Soar 'Without Feathers'" . Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  9. "The Stills: Without Feathers Album Review - Pitchfork" . Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  10. "The Stills: Oceans Will Rise Album Review - Pitchfork" . Retrieved 5 October 2016.