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The Lovely Feathers
Fantasy Of The Lot
Sparks
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Now that autumn is breathing down our necks, I’ve been searching around for something light and breezy to compliment a long walk or lazy afternoon under a canopy of clouds.

Even though Fantasy Of The Lot was released in the fiery heat of summer, the essence of what the album provides is a melancholic transition from sweat to shiver. It could also be the Montreal artistic angle, surrounded by some of the best modern artists from The Dears to Stars to Arcade Fire, even though The Lovely Feathers make a better fit within the Edinburgh pub scene.

There is simply something to the soft textures and jagged lips that remind me why I listened to the bands I did in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

“Fad” may feel like simple background music in which you almost forget you are even listening to an album in the first place, “Finder’s Fee” is the song I was hoping to hear out of this band. Expressive, catchy hooks, and notes that build upon themselves, it’s a feeling you find more in common with than not.

Mark Kupfert, Richard Yanofsky, and David Buzaglo have just enough accent in their vocals to feel quirky at times (if they are not purposefully trying to be quirky), yet it ends up being completely charming and believable. And how can you blame an observation like that, when “Family That Doesn’t Know The Game” is a bouncy rehab of ‘70s/early ‘80s organs and psych-pop with a narcotic effect. Even more powerful of an association, “Ossified Homes” is just bizarre in a They Might Be Giants meets Wire way when they repeat themselves, “Find the prince and dangle in the forest.” like they just ate a bunch of candy. But when they lash out, “Shame on the person that called my name,” you just want to pogo around the room.

And to demonstrate where the album is going, which ends up to be a room full of randomness, “Vaulted Documents” sounds like a bad attempt at re-creating a David Byrne/Peter Gabriel collaborative effect.

As unsuccessful as that sounds, Fantasy Of The Lot is a diversified journey that predominately is a great release not just for autumn, but for when you see the grass return to its voluptuous green. Despite the kitsch effect simply to be kitschy (the front cover looks like a strange Christmas album from the ’60s), their “legitimate” songs are what I love, and they will be the ones that stand out the most.

Links:

The Lovely Feathers Official Site: http://www.thelovelyfeathers.com/
The Lovely Feathers MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/thelovelyfeathers

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