Rating:

(Equator, 2006) The Lovely Feathers’ debut is one of the best records of the year. There, I said it. The Canadian indie post-punkers have made a wonderfully energetic, bizarre, catchy, and downright fun album in Hind Hind Legs, and there’s no use denying it. The band’s success is tied largely to their ability to synthesize their post-punk influences into a modern sound that is all their own, combined with their knack for writing oddly catchy songs. They don’t sound like they’re ripping anyone off, unlike some in the current indie rock scene. The Lovely Feathers have plenty of indie cred, too (as if it matters). They were the second band signed to Equator Records (home of Islands, and their acclaimed Return To The Sea), and Hind Hind Legs was produced by Jimmy Shaw (of both Metric and Broken Social Scene) and engineered by Drew Malamud (Stars, Metric, Death From Above 1979). In short, expectations are high for The Lovely Feathers. Luckily, the band meets those expectations, even exceeds them. The album starts off with a sweet, complicated, possibly tongue-in-cheek ode to the recently deceased Pope John Paul II, entitled (what else?) “Pope John Paul.” That song introduces the band’s sense of humor (try not to laugh at the cries of “Krakow, Poland!”), and their penchant for on-a-dime changes in tempo, prominent guitar soloing (somehow avoiding wankery), and irresistible melodies. Directly following that is “In The Valley”, a damn fine song - probably the best on the album - which incorporates Liars-esque dance-punk, strings, and what sounds like a melodeon, while remaining head-stickable throughout. “I Really Like You,” like many of the songs on Hind Hind Legs, is somewhat schizophrenic, but never disconcertingly so. On an album as cracked out as this, it fits. “Frantic” is yet another tempo-changing sing-along, featuring what sounds like a xylophone on the melody. A couple of previous reviews have mentioned Weezer as a similar band, but quite frankly the only track where that makes any sense is “Wrong Choice,” which is a fantastic quasi-emo song with plenty of guitar solos and impassioned vocals. Later on, the nostalgic “Photocorners” features acoustic strumming, multiple keyboards, a flute, and what sounds like the whole band shouting about how “we’d laugh if we were younger,” which the band must have been doing when they “went outside and put the car in drive” to go to “The Only Appalachian Cornfield.” One of the most conventional songs on the album, “E Man Sorrow,” is a bitter lament about a former lover that exclaims “I don’t mind forgetting you, baby / Because I don’t want to die with you, my baby.” Right after that, though, the silliness returns with “Rod Stewart,” which has absolutely nothing to do with Rod Stewart, other than the reference to “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” in the lyrics, but is a blast of uptempo pop energy that’s perfectly timed in the sequencing of the record. “Breakfast Cake” is another spastic song that bounces between dancey uptempo rock and sweet balladry, features plenty of guitar, and prominent bass guitar. The album closer, the symbolic “Lion Eats The Wildebeest,” is a dreamy ballad that seems to be about sex (what else are metaphors good for?), which is followed a couple minutes later by a hidden track wherein the band sings a cheesey lounge-inspired birthday song (presumably original) for keyboardist Daniel Suss. The ridiculousness of the birthday song is a fitting end to the extremely silly, but extremely good debut album from The Lovely Feathers. I say again, Hind Hind Legs is one of the best records of the year.

 1. Pope Jean Paul

*2. In The Valley

 3. I Really Like You

*4. Frantic

*5. Wrong Choice

 6. Mildly Decorated

 7. Photocorners

 8. The Only Appalachian Cornfield

 9. Ooh You Shocked Me

 10. E Man Sorrow

*11. Rod Stewart

*12. Breakfast Cake

 13. Lion Eats The Wildebeest

* = recommended tracks

Buy album

– Kevin

This 45-beetsreview was posted on May 22nd, 2006. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.