Review Summary: Fun, emotion-infused songwriting and catchy hooks with enough character to at least inspire a sing-along or two
I'd have to imagine that being in a band gets phenomenally frustrating from time to time. When I first saw The Features, opening for
Manchester Orchestra and
Biffy Clyro in a rather crowded Pittsburgh, PA venue, I couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated on the band's behalf. For half an hour, they appeared to dominate the stage with charmingly high-energy, passionately fun songs with catchy hooks and ample singalong opportunities. Within that entire time span, I don't believe a single person sang or danced along. For that particular throng of Pennsylvanian indie-something hipsters on that particular night, the impending presentation of Andy Hull's raw, emotion-driven talent was too overshadowing of a concern for anyone to shed any attention on Features frontman, Matthew Pelham. At the conclusion of their set, they humbly thanked the crowd, packed up their instruments, and left the stage as unostentatiously as they first took it.
Some Kind of Salvation, the Tennessee-based quartet's 2008 full-length, is a record much akin to that night's charming set: no matter what, this album exists...it's simply a matter of whether or not you'll choose to acknowledge that fact and give it a listen.
Pelham's lyrics focus mostly on the trials and tribulations of becoming more of a family man and having to ditch some of the lofty expectations of rockstar-dom. Certain tracks on
Some Kind of Salvation have a sort of Jeff Rosenstock feel to them, highlighting the struggles to get by and provide for both oneself and perhaps a significant other as well, all whilst desperately trying to hold on to the thought of doing what you love every day; namely playing music. The best example of this and perhaps the record's finest song,
The Temporary Blues, points out the unfortunate possibility of having to abandon such dreams for a mundane, stagnant interim job to pay the bills.
"Oh we're waiting on a break to come
for some coffee and a honey bun
and small talk about the things we wish we would have done
when we were young"
Another premier track on the album and one of the most fun tracks that I've heard in a long time is
Lions. Nothing about the song is particularly musically or lyrically impressive, but it truly encapsulates the fun and fiery atmosphere with which the group plays live shows, a difficult aspect to capture on a recording.
Lions is the sort of song that could make or break a live show, especially with an enthused, involved crowd singing along.
Some Kind of Salvation does have its share of shortcomings, however. Melodic repetitiveness, for one, is a woe which blights much of the record. With the exception of a few tracks, a lot of this album's songs and lyrics sound generally indiscernible from the rest of it. On top of this, nothing about
Some Kind of Salvation sets it apart from anything else in its genre. This isn't necessarily the worst thing, but certainly doesn't garner the record any scintillating bonus points.
All in all, this is an LP I recommend checking out. From the quirkiness of the first track to the semi-morose closure of
All I Ask, and with plenty of high points in between,
Some Kind of Salvation boasts enough crowd-pleasing moments to make up for its sometimes limiting musical reach. Certainly not the climax of their career, look out for The Features put forth more dazzling efforts in the future.
