The commercial highlight of the Stills' third album is "Being Here," an uplifting piece of U2-inspired rock that finds a compromise between the band's post-rock beginnings and the dusty Technicolor strains of Without Feathers. Tim Fletcher's vocals are the stuff of stadium rock shows -- all high notes, reverb, and crackling passion -- and guitarist Dave Hamelin plays descending riffs like the Edge's hipster doppelganger. Nothing else on Oceans Will Rise matches that sort of grandeur, but the band still sounds energized and confident throughout these 12 tracks. Appropriately, this is the first time the Stills have returned with their lineup intact -- co-founder Greg Paquet quit in 2005 to finish college, drummer Julien Blais and keyboardist Liam O'Neil joined the group soon after, and former drummer Dave Hamelin took up Paquet's vacant spot on lead guitar. Coupled with a natural desire to push the envelope, the new version of the Stills took a different approach to 2006's Without Feathers, but they didn't seem at home -- quite possibly because they'd already been pigeonholed as disciples of Joy Division, a band that shared few similarities with the Stills' new sound. Without Feathers was a conscious move away from that style, from the congested genre that had labeled the Stills a New York band despite their Canadian citizenship. The flaw wasn't in the songwriting itself, but in the band's inability to form a tight enough unit to deliver such an unexpected album.
It's with relief, then, that the Stills pull themselves together for Oceans Will Rise. Like Without Feathers, the album explores a continent's worth of new territory, but it does so with brash confidence and a subtle "screw you" attitude. The bandmates don't bat an eyelash when they throw a disjointed bridge into the middle of "Being Here," only to launch back into the song's accessible hook 20 seconds later. "Panic" features a similar moment; before the tune concludes with chiming guitar arpeggios and thick harmonies, the band launches into a heavy metal onslaught for four quick measures. Perhaps the Stills' strongest asset is knowing when to say when, and Oceans Will Rise also features a number of well-crafted songs that don't feature such unanticipated turns. "Snow in California" tackles climate change with lush, electro-shoegaze atmospherics, while the eerie, percussive "Snakecharming the Masses" -- perhaps the best tune the Music never wrote -- explores the band's lingering dark side. Oceans Will Rise is a return to form for the Stills, who've earned their merit as an experimental group with a strong knack for pop/rock hooks.
I'm thrilled to be the first to review the new Stills record.As with any release, The Stills Oceans Will Rise requires some serious grow time. Our friends from Montreal have put out two stellar records preceding this one and this third LP is as growth oriented as any "junior" record. Fortunately for me, it only took a day and a half to succumb to the lush and deep sounds of a record in the maki...
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Montreal quintet the Stills are poised to release their third album Oceans Will Rise (via Arts & Crafts) next week and then head out on an American tour with "Sex On Fire" scribes Kings Of Leon this fall. In this week's 'Gum Drop we debuted triumphant Oceans standout "Eastern Europe" and asked vocalist/guitarist Tim Fletcher about the story behind the track. He let us know "It's all about takin...
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Montreal quintet the Stills are poised to release their third album Oceans Will Rise (via Arts & Crafts) next week and then head out on an American tour with "Sex On Fire" scribes Kings Of Leon this fall. In this week's 'Gum Drop we debuted triumphant Oceans standout "Eastern Europe" and asked vocalist/guitarist Tim Fletcher about the story behind the track. He let us know "It's all about takin...
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Watch the new video from The Stills taken from their new album Oceans Will Rise.~~
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--- - |- The Stills "Rooibos/ Palm Wine Drinkard" (mp3) from "Oceans Will Rise" (Arts & Crafts) The Stills are back with their latest release, "Oceans Will Rise". Definitely sounding different from their previous albums, i'm liking the direction they are going. Coming back with a more upbeat, rock sound, this track has an energy building kind of groove to it w...
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The Stills release their new video for the song Being Here from the album Oceans Will Rise - due out August 19th from Arts & Crafts. The Stills will be joining Kings of Leon on their upcoming North American tour this Fall.The Stills - Being HerePREVIOUS:The Stills - Being HereThe Stills - Rooibos / Palm Wine DrinkardThe Stills 2008 Tour Dates:09/12 - Quebec City, QC @ Envol & Macadam Fest09/18...
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So I've been lost is a gray world, numb, blind. Putting one foot ahead of the other in an obscene parody of normalcy. "Trapped in trackless hours for they hang suspended", as alone as a man can be, surrounded by loved ones. When I find myself in times of trouble music usually sings to me, and its starting to again, but for a while I thought I might become trapped in this gray ugly world...
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Featuring a cameo from Broken Social Scene's brilliantly bearded Brendan Canning...Liking it....
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I saw that deadmandeadman had posted this song back in June last year and so when I just happened acrross this tonight, I couldnt help but share it..Love it....On the list of must see's... shit the list is getting looonnng....
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The Stills - I'm With YouThe Stills have released the next video from their excellent third album Oceans Will Rise with I'm With You and it features singer/guitarists Dave Hamelin and Tim Fletcher being bombarded by the elements (and a piano) before they get onstage to play flaming instruments with the rest of the band. Enjoyable, n'es pas?AZLTRON MUSIC BLOG
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I'm thrilled to be the first to review the new Stills record.As with any release, The Stills Oceans Will Rise requires some serious grow time. Our friends from Montreal have put out two stellar records preceding this one and this third LP is as growth oriented as any "junior" record. Fortunately for me, it only took a day and a half to succumb to the lush and deep sounds of a record in the maki...
More >
The latest Stills song to be given the video treatment from their somewhat mediocre third LP Oceans Will Rise (check our review of it HERE) is this song right here. I'm With You is track ten from the record and sees the band take a lighter approach to their rock theatrics.
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Having pulled up a chair with the The Stills in London to have a drink and talk about their most recent album Oceans Will Rise late last year, we continue to follow their adventures as The Stills join the Kings of Leon on tour in Australia, where Chris Berkley of Static catches up with both [...]
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Don't Talk Down |
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| 2 Snow in California |
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| 3 Snakecharming the Masses |
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| 4 Being Here |
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| 5 Everything I Build |
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| 6 Panic |
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| 7 Eastern Europe |
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| 8 Hands on Fire |
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| 9 Dinosaurs |
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| 10 I'm with You |
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| 11 Rooibos/Palm Wine Drinkard |
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| 12 Statue of Sirens |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Oceans Will Rise")
