The Features
Wilderness
Bug Music
There’s a wealth of familiar sounds wafting through this third album by the Features, and some are so startling as to make the listener take a second glance. This Sparta Tennessee outfit has had a respectable career up until now, but so far there’s been little that would make the unawares take extra notice. This time around, any indifference may shift in their favor, although ironically that may owe more to the familiarity factor that’s instilled throughout. Singer Matthew Pelham sounds strikingly similar to Robert Plant on “Rambo” and the band as a whole takes on a Led Zep-like vibe on the funky “How It Starts.” However, there’s more of a modern reference found on songs like “Golden Comb” and “Another Day,” where the jittery rhythms bring to mind Kings of Leon. Still, it would be unfair to rate the Features solely on the basis of comparisons. The sheer energy inherent in the brashly titled,” “Offer Up,” “Big Mama Gonna Whip Us Good,” “Love Is…” and “Chapter III” betrays an emphatic energy that’s literally hard to resist. Ultimately – and to their credit – the Features are difficult to typecast, and all other references aside, this is a band that clearly is still coming into its own. Wilderness rocks and provides anticipation for whatever revelry they may beget in the future. – Lee Zimmerman
Lee Zimmerman is a contributor to a variety of publications, including Blurt, M Music & Musicians, New Times, Goldmine and Amplifier
This review appears courtesy of Amplifier, 50,000 Watts of Non-Stop Indie Rock http://amplifiermagazine.blogspot.com/
