i need some dignity. i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i'm sorry.

I lie all my potential hipness or non-nerd possibilities on the line with the following statement: It was not until entering Hind Hind Legs into my RecordNerd until I realized that Islands and The Lovely Feathers were label-mates (and the only releases thus far from Equator Records) and everything clicked.
First there was Unicorns. A transition and slight line-up change begat Islands, whose base sound is very Unicorns-esque but lighter, poppier and slightly spacier. Islands started a new record label called Equator Music, which signed The Lovely Feathers, who - I would argue - also have a Unicorns-based sound, but much earthier, more spread out and slightly more gruff. Hind Hind Legs is the debut album and it's been turning many heads with no surprises. The quintets website boasts:

"The Lovely Feathers are a band which toots blossomy extractive post-punk-infused eccentric pop.

Rarely do we experience music that portrays the canopy of life with such clarity and tragic heartsmiles. The Lovely Feathers, in all its poppy grandeur, somehow manage to convey feelings we never knew we knew so well."

Well, there it is, eh? I took in quite a bit of this album today and have to admit that there are some spots where my mind drifts away, but it's almost worth it for the songs or sections that grip me and throw me right back into it. This kind of CD reminds me that as much as I love vinyl, I have to force myself to be a CD man, otherwise I would never listen to the second half of most albums. Would I like some records as much if the second half were first? And would I like the second half better if it were first? I think it's an interesting notion, and one that bears little relevance to what I was talking about. This is what most people might refer to as a tangent. I go on many of them as I talk, and The Lovely Feathers go off on many of them through the course of Hind Hind Legs. It's an enjoyable ride that you should embark on with gusto.
The moment I was convinced is within the first ten seconds of "I Really Like You," when (and I know I'm taking it out of context) the band seemingly explodes, immediately apologizes profusely and then proves it's sincerity with a bitterly sweet (on the verge of madness) like song.
I'm presenting a block of songs from the first half of what would be Side A. They truly are (arguably) the best tracks, and sometimes (quite often) I use a lot (too many) parentheticals (these).



The Lovely Feathers' "In The Valley"
"I Really Like You"
& "Frantic"
from Hind Hind Legs

Hey! The Lovely Feathers will be at Beachland with Dr. Dog and The Spinto Band on June 17. That's ten days before Final Fantasy, eight days after Tilly & The Wall, three days before We Are Scientists and The Double, and forty-two days before Pitchfork Music Festival. Ooh, Summer.