THE STILLS

In my mind, I had more or less worked out that this post was going to be all about how much I had liked THE STILLS' debut album, LOGIC WILL BREAK YOUR HEART, back in 2003; how disappointed I had been with their "musical makeover" of 2006 (WITHOUT FEATHERS); and how 2008's OCEANS WILL RISE ultimately struck me as a sort of ho-hum, shoulder-shrug of a third act.

But then I re-read what I'd written here back in '06:

"I liked the 'sound' of the Stills' debut LP, Logic Will Break Your Heart, even if only a few of the 'songs' proved fully-formed and distinctive. The Montreal band will release their second CD, Without Feathers, on May 9th. People are already remarking on the change in the group's sound, as evidenced by opening track, 'In the Beginning.' As it happens, I didn't care for that song, and I don't much care for the rest of the album, either. Yes, that's one more 2006 disappointment for me, but who's counting?"

So... it would seem that I was never quite as high on that 2003 debut as I'd come to believe I was. I do like the "songs" from it below, at least. And I like the one (and only one) from the follow-up. And the top two would be my Top 2 from Disc 3. Alas, the phrase "diminishing returns" hangs over this post like the ghost of FRANK SINATRA, JR. (and yes, I know that Frank Sinatra, Jr. is still alive, but that fact does nothing to diminish my basic point).

THE STILLS on MySPACE.

From the LP OCEANS WILL RISE, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Don't Talk Down"
[MP3] "Snakecharming the Masses"

From the LP WITHOUT FEATHERS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Halo the Harpoons"

From the LP LOGIC WILL BREAK YOUR HEART, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Still in Love Song"
[MP3] "Changes Are No Good"