Released in 2003 on Fierce Panda, these six sunny, humable ditties have now found their way to a major label. Features released a self-titled new wave/rock EP in '97, but have since switched to the ever-prevalent underground field of Kinks worship. The aforementioned ditties on hand here are catchy enough, and the instrumentation subtly shifts in clever ways. But they're still ditties. And the thin, reedy Alan Sparhawk-esque vocals at play fail to do some of the songs justice. The melodies are familiar sounding for the most part, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they are decidedly winsome in their accompaniment and delivery. It's like when you hear Unwound playing something you swear you heard Sonic Youth do, but it's given just the right touches to make the influences seem more filtered than aped.
Unfortunately, the EP is book-ended by two charged, but surely forgettable Vines, Jet, Hives, or White Stripes tinged re-hashings of garage rock's greatest bash-outs. The band seems more talented than the somewhat bland and predictable melodic structure of these songs suggests. The verse structure of "Walk You Home" reminds me of "Rush" by Big Audio Dynamite, before an exuberant horn section bridge kicks into more dippy melody for the chorus. This particular song, along with the pretty/hokey ballad "Bumble Bee" is a definite standout. It's promising to see this kind of music on a major, but I imagine they'll just fade into obscurity like so many irreverent, but ultimately ignored crossover-contestant bands. Followers of groups like Saturday Looks Good to Me, Dressy Bessy, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, and Elephant 6 songsters will probably be unmoved by this stuff. If you are looking for something new or edgy, then Features might be the wrong way to go. There is nothing of exceptional vitality on offer, but the tunes have the potential to become endearing to an unfettered disposition and/or one who's unfamiliar with the aforementioned psych groups.
Do not purchase this EP if, like me, you take issue with excessive sweetness in music. Like on the Stars' Heart album, you begin to feel dangerously uncomfortable as though that teddy bear in the laundry ads were stuffing sheet after sheet of fabric softener down your throat. Overindulging in music such as Features can be like when you ate too much candy corn and puked what looked like a rotten orange smoothie. If you're the chipper sort, here's another reason to stay gold. But if you're happy-go-lucky and seek audio adventure, you might want to find something a little more innovative. I'd suggest the Beta Band or Neutral Milk Hotel if you haven't already heard ‘em.
1. The Beginning (Week One)
2. Walk You Home
3. Bumble Bee
4. Two by Two
5. Stark White Stork Approaching
6. The Way It's Meant to Be
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