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Review: Jack Foley
HAILING from Sparta, Tennessee, The Features have gradually been
building a name for themselves as purveyors of sharp-edged guitar
pop with a lush melodic core.
Singles such as There's A Million Ways To Sing The Blues
and the excellent Blow It Out capably demonstrated their
ability to marry some killer guitar hooks with a genuinely feel-good
vibe.
Kings of Leon have already hailed them as their 'new favourite
band', while The Guardian wrote that they are 'powerful and poignant,
and difficult to ignore'.
You may tend to agree after hearing their album, Exhibit
A, which contains enough highlights to suggest that such
high praise is not misplaced.
Driven by Matt Pelham's edgy, emotional vocals, the album flits
from moments of punk-driven excess to radio-friendly classics
that eschew the sun-drenched, feel-good vibe of bands like Weezer.
In truth, it's better when working in the latter category, as
punky numbers such as Harder To Ignore and Exorcising
Demons sometimes come across as too hard-rocking for their
own good.
Of the highlights, recent single, Blow It All, with
its sing-along chorus of 'if you're happy and you know it, blow
it out' stands head and shoulders as the most commercially viable
track on the album.
It's an effortlessly catchy affair that genuinely has listeners
bouncing along to it.
Another former single, Leave It All Behind, is another
belter, coming across like a sound-clash between The Buzzcocks
and Kings of Leon, with Roger Dabbs' grand organs very much to
the fore.
Once again, you'll probably be singing heartily along to the
chorus without realising it
The ball-busting rock-out that is There's A Million Ways
To Sing The Blues is another feel-good effort, that really
showcases Pelham's aching vocal style.
While the sweet harmonies and innocent vocals of The Idea
of Growing Old is another gem, combining some terrific lyrics
with the sort of melodies that did They Might Be Giants' Birdhouse
In Your Soul so proud.
If the rest of the album fails to measure up to the quality of
some of its finest moments and appears content to play to formula
and mere thrash-antics, then it's a small price to pay for the
moments when it genuinely comes alive.
Exhibit A is, therefore, an excellent debut long-player
that is really worth taking the time to become acquainted with.
Its energy can be invigorating.
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