By: Victor Van Ommen
Album Type: EP
Date Released: 26/02/2016
Label: HeviSike Records
“Dead Feathers” DD//LP track
listing:
1). With Me
2). Night Child
3). Color Exhaustion
4). Horse & Sands
The Review:
Dead Feathers have been hanging around the retro-rock circuit for a
little while now. In August of last year they made the scene with a digitally
released EP that slowly turned the heads of music fans and labels alike. Rumor
has it that a full-length is on its way but in the meantime HeviSike Records has grasped the opportunity to give this
digital EP the vinyl treatment.
In four
songs and twenty minutes, Dead Feathers serve up
an interesting take on 70’s influenced psych-blues. At face value, the initial
comparison to Blues Pills is one that’s easily made but
not entirely accurate. Writing Dead Feathers off as a
copycat band would not be giving them their due. The main difference between
these two bands is how they control energy. Where Blues Pills
bursts at the seams with fervor, Dead Feathers keeps
things mellow.
Mellow is
good. Marissa Allen’s soothing, subtle vibrato is the secret weapon on this EP,
coloring in the hypnotic push provided by the band. She creates a particular
tension, inviting the listener to get lost, but the band never goes off the
rail like the aforementioned Blues Pills. Instead,
when the tension finally does break, it’s confined to the shadow of the dreamy
production, presumably in an attempt to keep the vibe alive. This is a fairly
unique way to control atmosphere and if Dead Feathers are able
to play this out and hold the attention for a full-length album then they’re
going to be a band to watch out for this year.
“Dead
Feathers” is available here
