In many ways, the album cover tells the story of The Wild Feathers' self-titled debut album. It's a gorgeous, striking picture of a relaxed band walking along a mountain road. It might be a country road, but it's hard to tell. At least three of the five members of the band are semi-smiling. It seems to have some kind of retro filter or retro vibe going on and I like it, but here's thing: I've seen pictures like this before. I've taken pictures like this before. It's a beautiful image of ordinary content.
There's a quote in the "about" section of the band's Facebook page that reads, "They're like if Led Zeppelin and The Band had a baby in Joshua Tree that grew up listening to Ryan Adams covering the Stones 70's country influenced songs." That's a hilarious, mostly accurate way of putting things, and there's almost nothing left to say after that. But again, it's drawing on old comparisons to describe a new band. If I compared them to what it would sound like if Band of Horses played Allman Brothers covers the rest of their lives, I'm sure a lot of people would agree with me. If you spend all of your time trying to compare The Wild Feathers to other bands, you will end up with a laundry list of contenders.
So, what kind of person are you? Do you like your eggs with bacon, or do you like your eggs with pepperoni? I'm sure there's a food truck out there serving pizza eggs but before ordering you'd really need to ask yourself if that's the play. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a classic, which is what you should keep in mind while listening to The Wild Feathers. It gets off to a hot start with the fast-paced "Backwoods Company" followed by the aptly-named "American," where the album begins to carve its way through the country - the heartland, the south - as it slowly begins to form an identity. It's a meandering path and the first landmark is "The Ceiling," which at 6-plus minutes is the defining song of the album. "The Ceiling" is a ballad's ballad: country, bluegrass, and folk elements are all well-represented over the course of the song.
The Wild Feathers are based in Nashville, a city that is rapidly becoming more than the Grand Ole Opry and the embodiment of country music. It is where Dan Auerbach and Jack White are currently jostling for position of Hipster King. Like the city itself, The Wild Feathers represent a fusion of country and rock that is starting to gain some traction if not nationwide then at least in my own head, where it really matters.
The best song on the album is "Hard Wind," the song upon which I'm pretty sure the Led Zeppelin-The Band comparison was based. It's a short song and the attack of the guitar is mostly unrelenting, but they manage to sprinkle harmonies in just the right places. We are going to be hearing more from The Wild Feathers so in the spirit of Nashville, you may want to hop on the bandwagon now so you can tell people you liked them before they were cool.
Grade: B
What a surprise! What a pleasure! This is amazingly fresh and yet it is already a classic album which will take its rightful place alongside 20th C greats. It gave me the same feeling I had when I first heard CSNY, the Beatles, Tom Petty, Tom Verlaine, Tom Waits (all that's just the Toms) - yes, it's that good. I want more.
Absolutely amazing, we can not be more thankful for all the bands we have played for and all the people we have met throughout our whole journey of playing.
Album Reviews
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Amazing and so inspirational. Tears are in my eyes thinking of these true heroes.
Thank you, for sharing your experience in making this amazing series.
Album Reviews