When you throw the sophomore release of Montreal’s The Stills in your computer, and if you use RealPlayer, the genre description for the band is listed as Post-Punk. After the release of their Vice debut Logic Will Break Your Heart in 2004, which featured many opportunities for a raucous, dance-off, including “Ready For It” and “Animals + Insects,” the band was corralled into the Post-Punk pen, which has gotten substantially more crowded in the last two years. Although the band toured with the likes of Interpol, the circumference of their makings strayed away from the white belt recipe.
Stripped even further from any connection to the pen is Without Feathers, with Dave Hamelin’s (singer/guitarist/drums…yes, all of the above) warming vocals tones taking the Pied Piper lead in a different direction, followed closely by joyous horns, pianorgan, and balloon flying fanfare. The aptly named first track, “In The Beginning,” sways with an almost country-esque flair that could be a close cousin to Peter Walker’s Young Gravity. Stills even throw an ironic, comical wink at the “thank-you” portion of the CD insert, choosing instead to send “Our Deepest Apologies To” numerous folks and bands, including The Walkmen and Sloan. Bravo.
