Vice sends us another little treasure here: it’s definitely fun-filled like a jelly donut. I just have a hard time explaining what it is on the inside, though… since each song has a different twist on the evolving Montreal sound.
The Lovely Feathers is a lovely little disc packed with enthusiasm from the members of Wolf Parade and Arcade Fire. It has elements of post-punk and indie rock / pop (I know that’s not a genre but it is starting to become one). With pummeling guitars, chanting/ call-out style vocals, and tight beats with unyielding bass lines and it makes me think of so many things, song by song, this is what I think of:
- Pope John Paul - (Guitars, tambourine and choral-like overdub vocals). The guitar solos and instrumental interludes’ production sounds quite like the late Beatles. Then it traverses into the classic Montreal style sound that is happening with vocal textures and cutesie/quirky pop.
- In The Valley - (Drums- cut and dry, bass- outlines the melodic element, vocals- chant-like). I can’t help but think of Franz Ferdinand, but this is a much more melodic sound. Orchestral strings come in for an instrumental. The synthesizers sound like one of the first Mini-moog synths. It’s hard to pin it down to one specific sound or comparison…
- I Really Like You - Guitars- screaming intro, vocals- forming into a sound that is reminiscent of Why? Andy Broder (Fog): scattered tonal spoken-word; Backing Guitars- high strung beach rock sound, kind of how Everclear’s sounded in the 90’s post alt-rock era. It’s like a soft ballad that detonates high-energy intermissions.
- Frantic - Bells, guitars- playing staccato notes on the quarter beats, vocals- sing oooo in unison with the bells. It then doubles in time into a pop explosion. This is a prime example of post punk that meets an element of art folk. The punk bits at moments remind me of Goldfinger.
- Wrong Choice - textured guitars (one looping broken chords, the other slightly soloing), bass synthesizer or it’s a manipulated bass line, electric guitar rings into the meter with drums. This track is quite alt-rock, the vocals are distorted sounding like from in a tunnel. Then the vocals come out of the tunnel and sing story-lined lyrics like Sufjan Stevens then it goes back into a loud chorus that reminds me of Stone Temple Pilots gone crazy. TAKE THESE COMPARISONS VERY LIGHTLY… this is really hard to pin down.
- Mildly Decorated - folk like vocals, guitar line softly play single notes that connect to the synthesizer sounds, the intensity is very anticlimactic, and then it reminds me of Nirvana. It’s kind of reminiscent Castanets… ya Castonets. I take the lyrics (towards then end) less seriously. It’s almost like the Doors too and the Doers too.
