CD Review: The Lovely Feathers - Hind Hind Legs

Okay, I give. Things have been far too cute and nonsensical over in Canada ever since the Unicorns' 2003 Stateside heyday with the release of Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone. I didn't always feel that way. The Unicorns' album was a piece of sweet and silly pop taffy, but even their disintegration was a joy, because it lead to the formation of Islands and the creation of one of this year's best records, Return to the Sea. However, while I can thoroughly recommend giving Islands a chance (few of you will regret it), I can also blame their former incarnation for helping to influence their Equator Records labelmates The Lovely Feathers.

The Lovely Feathers' Hind Hind Legs is the musical equivalent of an adorable child with ADD: the music is usually fun and bouncier than one of those awesome tiny trampolines everyone loved in elementary school gym classes, but the vocals and lyrics are an entirely different story. These lyrics are so jabberwocky annoying that an older listener will tire of this album within the first five songs. If The Lovely Feathers were a child you were babysitting, it would be the child who you would wish was actually the Anti-Christ, just so you could get away with chasing it around the house with a broom instead of listening to all of the bullshit that it's constantly spewing out.

Granted, there are moments that are a faint reprieve, such as the Pixies-influenced "Wrong Choice" and the post-punk fervor (though it too can become vaguely annoying) of "Breakfast Cake"; even when the band is at its most wacky and childlike, like on opening track "Pope John Paul" and the humorous "Rod Stewart," they can still be enjoyable. But the largest problem here is that The Lovely Feathers seems to have no clue as to what kind of band they want to be. They want to be Black Francis. They want to be David Byrne. They want to be the Unicorns. They might even want to be Man Man. Hell, they even want to be Gang of Four's aggravating little brothers. And this drive to explore such a varied array of sound can drive away even listeners who love those bands.

Article Author: Modern Pea Pod

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