Review: The Features’ new album “Wilderness”
July 13, 2011
Murfreesboro/Nashville’s hometown heroes The Features are set to release their 3rd full length album Wilderness via Bug Music July 26th. I’ve been following this band since the early 2000’s, not long after I first moved to Murfreesboro, and known most of them since the mid 2000’s, so I’ll admit I’m a pretty biased person, but I am not a professional music critic. Knowing what they’ve been through, and after a late night drunken conversation with producer/engineer Brian Carter many months ago during the last stages of the album’s production, it’s very evident that this is the album they’ve always wanted to make.
This band never ceases to amaze me in their ability to stay fresh and create music that’s never dull or uninspired. There’s always a lot of hype and expectation around them, especially from their hometown scene, and somehow they always deliver. At this point the band just seems almost… dare I say it… infallible. Invincible at the very least. This album has anything a die hard Features fan could want, but I think it’ll also draw in even more new fans. Frontman Matt Pelham’s songwriting is as sharp as it ever was, leaving room for keyboardist Mark Bond to sprinkle in his textures where they need to be. Songs such as “Golden Comb” and “How It Starts” should be instant hits with those well-schooled in the Features back catalog. “Golden Comb” has a melodic structure and chord progression that may remind listeners of a few tracks from their debut Exhibit A. “How It Starts” features an instantly catchy vocal melody in the chorus, backed by a driving beat and handclaps which I hope will soon be learned by the home crowd at their live shows. I miss the days when crowd claps in “Darkroom” and “See You Through” were once staples of a local Features show. The second track “Kids” steps into slightly new-ish territory for the band, with drummer Rollum Haas pounding out a furious and frenetic shuffle rhythm between the toms and snare, while Pelham rips through a mean and distorted guitar riff. Perhaps it’s not really all that new, just a new-ish twist on a well-established signature Features style. The album has a healthy dose of slower tempos and earnest lyrics as well. “Fats Domino” contains one of the best lines Pelham has ever penned- “You can have everything… except my rock & roll… my love.” Though unfortunately this song also contains the only questionable moment on the album: Pelham saying a couple of lines in a soft talking voice, the last of which is “but I can’t let you walk out that door baby…” The album’s closer “Chapter III” is one of those songs for which The Features are often most beloved. Pelham croons out the chorus line “Yours To Keep” in an instantly lovable falsetto melody that simply melts the heart. Throughout the album Brian Carter’s production is spot-on; just the right amount of reverb here, just the right EQ there.
They’ve gone and done it again. They’ve made what will arguably be considered their best album yet. If 15 years of existence and a tumultuous run through the gauntlet of the major label record industry doesn’t destroy a band, then nothing will. I have faith that these guys will be making great music for years to come. I find that there are generally two types of great bands: ones that peak quickly and produce a small body of quality music over a relatively short amount of time, and ones that slowly evolve and keep churning out a steady stream of greatness for years and years. The Features have established themselves as the latter. Let’s hope they keep going.
MP3: The Features-Rambo
Homebrew kegging setup fundraising campaign
July 9, 2011
So I decided to do something slightly crazy. I’m starting a campaign on chipin.com to raise about $500 to get a kegging system/build a kegerator for my homebrewed beer. If this already sounds great to you, just go ahead and do at this link. But you probably want a little more explanation, so here goes:
- “What do I get out of this as a donor?”
First of all, you WILL get something out of this. Sometime shortly after the end of this little fundraising campaign I will throw a party at a TBD location. At this party, there will be at least one keg, if not a couple kegs of my homebrew- kegged by the kegging system that you helped me buy. As a donor, you will receive a free cup and get to drink as much of this homebrew as you wish. I promise it will be good beer. And if I can pull it off, there will be bands and/or DJs at this party as well. Of course, anyone can come to this party, but if they were not a donor they will have to pay something like $3 for their cup. - “Why do you even need a homebrew kegging system? You’ve been bottling your brews for a couple years now!”
True, I have been bottling so far. But bottling is a royal pain in the ass and takes forever. You have to rinse and sanitize about 45 bottles. One. At. A. Time. Then you have to fill and cap said bottles. One. At. A. Time. Plus, kegging is a lot greener, is much more party-friendly, and everyone is much happier. - “What exactly am I helping you pay for here?”
The complete homebrew kegging kit from Rebel Brewer, one Sanyo 4912 mini-fridge, and a tap kit. The mini-fridge and tap are to build a kegerator: simply put, a mini-fridge with a tap installed, which is connected to one or two 5 gallon kegs full of beer inside. - “How much should I donate to this?”
Well, it’s up to you, but if you give $10-$20 you’ll easily get that much in beer at the party. But if you give a whole lot more… thanks, but I can’t promise you’ll be able to drink that much beer at the party! Of course, you’re always welcome to just come over to my house and have a pint. 🙂 - “Why can’t you just save up/put it on your credit card or something?”
I’ve had a few unexpected expenses hit me (read: my credit card) recently, mostly involving my Jeep, and any big purchases of this magnitude are just out of the question till that shit’s paid off. Which may be a while.
This may seem silly to you, and if it does you don’t have to participate! I’m not going to be offended, I promise. I agree this whole idea does seem a little ridiculous, but I’m not one to take myself too seriously. But if you’ve gotten this far you’re probably a friend of mine and at least like me, just a little bit. And if none of you care enough to get me to my goal- again, I won’t be offended. I’ll just keep slaving away at those bottles.
If you’ve gotten this far and are totally into it, go right ahead.
The end of the Space Shuttle era
July 7, 2011
If all goes as planned, tomorrow’s scheduled launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis will be the beginning of the end for the shuttle program. And when it touches down, the shuttle era will officially be over. With the program literally being almost exactly as old as I am (the first shuttle flight was on April 12, 1981, and I was born on Nov. 20th, 1981), it just seems surreal to know that the shuttles will no longer be operating. They were the face of NASA as I was growing up- they were “it.” But it is time for NASA to move on, let the private spaceflight industry take over the now routine task of ferrying astronauts to the ISS, and focus on exploring beyond low earth orbit.
The last I read, weather is going to be a big concern for the launch tomorrow, so there’s a decent chance it’ll get pushed back days or even weeks. But when it does happen, you should watch it. Especially if you’ve never seen one before. It’ll be all over the media so it’ll be hard to miss.
I decided to gather a few of the more interesting shuttle-related links I’ve come across over the past few days in my various science and space-related RSS feeds:
- Photo gallery of Atlantis on the launchpad, via Universe Today.
- Photo gallery that spans the entire shuttle program’s history, via Discovery News.
- Discovery’s first pilot remembers its troubled first mission, via Discovery News.
- Countdown: 10 amazing space shuttle photos, via Space.com.
- A glimpse into the complex rescue scenario in the event that Atlantis is irreparably damaged and incapable of re-entry, via Space.com.
I’d heard rumors of Chromeo returning to the Nashville this year. They loved it here and were pleasantly surprised by the sellout last August, so it came as no surprise to learn they were probably coming back sometime this year. I waited around for the official announcement and it finally came, but with an extra-special added bonus: Mayer Hawthorne and none other than the legendary BREAKBOT are billed to open the show on Oct. 25th at the Cannery. I can’t even describe how awesome this billing is. It’s going be a looooong summer in anticipation of this show. The announcement came at the same time as Breakbot announced his new remix of Chromeo’s track “When The Night Falls” which you can preview below:
Meanwhile, Nashville’s own electro duo Jensen Sportag did a very sexy and very danceable remix of Memory Tapes’ “Wait In The Dark” which got them some serious love from The Fader. Good job, fellas. I can’t be happier to see Nashville artists seeing success making such traditionally “un-Nashville” music. Stream it below:
Rock shows/etc… this 4th of July weekend
July 1, 2011
It’s that time of year again- when we use our nation’s birthdate as an excuse to drink in excess, eat lots of unhealthy food, and blow shit up. What could possibly be more American than that? In addition to all your weekend plans that my involve any combination of those activities, here are some good shows you might consider checking in out if you’re around Nashville.
FRIDAY:
We Were the States, Heartbeater, Mom & Dad, The Grayces @ The End. 9pm $5
My So-Called Band: The Ultimate 90’s Summer Jam @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $10 ($12 DOS)
SATURDAY:
Hanni El Khatib w/ Sex Bombs and Rebel Surfers @ The End. 9pm $8
SUNDAY:
The Coathangers, Feral Beat, Denny & The Jets @ The Basement. 9pm 21+ $5 (It’s the Basement’s pre July 4th weenie roast with FREE hotdogs till they run out!)
JULY FUCKING 4TH!
Brandon Jazz presents: 8 off 8th, AMERICA STYLE ft. BJ & His Armed Forces, Bravo Max, Tesla Rossa, The Billy Goats, Dungeon Honey, Tex Rambunctious, Uncle Sam @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm FREE 21+ (This will be the debut of Brandon Jazz’s new music video for “Deal With It.”
That’s it. Have a great weekend, blow some stuff up (not yourself!), party hard, and don’t get arrested.
Fool’s Gold takes a page from the Jack White play book
June 30, 2011
Photo by Brook Bobbins
A-Trak and his Fool’s Gold Records team seem to have taken a page from the Jack White play book and opened their very own record store/swag store in Brooklyn, NY. I shouldn’t have to say that I’m a huge fan of just about everything Fool’s Gold and/or A-Trak does, and this just makes it even better. You can bet I will be paying them a visit next I’m in the Big Apple. One thing is pretty clear here- the similarities between what Jack White has done with his Third Man Records here in Nashville and what A-Trak is doing with his Fool’s Gold Records in NYC. I feel like A-Trak is headed for a similar status in the hip hop/dance/DJ realm as Jack White has built in the rock realm. They both have opened storefronts in their respective cities with an exquisitely curated style and vision, but also their respective labels consist of top-notch talent and everything about both of their brands has a sense of organic, home-grown quality to it. Next in line: Mac McCaughn and a Merge Records store in Chapel Hill, NC?
A fun and simple homemade smoke bomb recipe
June 28, 2011
Part of my intense nerdyness comes from my childhood when I was obsessed with fire. Yes, like many young boys, I was a pyromaniac. And I still am. I’m just a much safer, more cautious pyromaniac. Every year for the 4th of July I like to indulge my inner 14-year-old boy by buying and even making my own pyrotechnic devices. I thought I would share one recipe/method for making a homemade smoke bomb. It’s pretty simple and safe- provided you follow these directions very carefully.
Ingredients: Equal parts sucrose (aka table sugar) and potassium nitrate (aka saltpeter or KNO3), a container, and a fuse. (Just pull a fuse out of a bottle rocket.)
Saltpeter is relatively easy to come by if you know where to look- it can usually be found in small mom & pop drug stores (never chains like Walgreens for whatever reason…) or in hardware stores where it’s sold as stump remover. There are several different kinds of stump remover but the one you need is usually called “stumpout.” Just check the label and shake it to make sure it’s really potassium nitrate in powder form. I used stump remover in the one I made last year and it worked great.
Mix the KNO3 and sugar (equal parts) together well and put them into a saucepan or pot. Heat the mixture in the pot VERY SLOWLY on an ELECTRIC stove eye. Let me say that again- heat it VERY VERY SLOWLY on an ELECTRIC stove eye. DO NOT heat it on a natural gas stove as it will greatly increase the risk of accidental ignition. The electric stove eye provides a slower, more gradual source of heat. Obviously, the best place to do this is OUTSIDE on a portable heat plate, and be sure you wear some kind of eye protection. Carefully monitor and stir the mixture and as soon as you notice it starting to melt, turn the heat back down just a bit- you want the bare minimum amount of heat necessary to melt the mixture. It will begin to turn a brownish orange color- keep stirring and monitoring the temp. Once it’s all a gooey liquid, pour it into whatever container you’ve chosen and insert the fuse. Simply allow it to cool and harden and you’re good to. Don’t try to make a really huge one, either- if the chunk is too big it will burn too fast and potentially explode. Here’s a great video of the final product in action:
The powder form of this mixture (pre-melting) will burn quite well and produce a lot of smoke, but the melting allows the fuel and oxidizer to blend in a way that the powder form can’t. This is why the melting method yields a steadier, smokier burn.
The most important thing here is safety:
HEAT SLOWLY- VERY VERY SLOWLY
USE AN ELECTRIC STOVE
WEAR EYE PROTECTION
MELT IT OUTSIDE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE
Recommended shows this weekend
June 24, 2011
Gotta keep it short and sweet today. Pretty slim pickin’s this weekend but here are a few shows around Nashy this weekend worth checking out:
FRIDAY:
Natalie Prass, Andrew Combs, Matt Campbell @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $5 21+ (I know, three first-name/last-names on a bill, but these are better than your average Nashville first-name/last-names.)
The Long Players performing The Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers @ the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. 6-9pm. Check out the Frist website for prices. This is an especially cool event becuase it’s the opening for the Frist’s premier summer exhibit Warhol Live: Music and Dance in Andy Warhol’s Work. The Long Players will also have a special guest saxophonist- Bobby Keys, who played on the Stones’ tracks “Can You Hear Me Knockin'” and “Brown Sugar.”
SATURDAY:
Heypenny, PDA, Sleepy Vikings @ The Basement. 9pm 21+ $10
Alcohol Stuntband, The Black Faces, Satan’s Youth Ministers, and The Fastboys @ FooBar. (No idea about the price because their website is down/under construction.)
Have a great weekend!
New BURGERS mixtape: Summer 2011
June 23, 2011
A little late for the technical first day of summer, but it’s finally here: the BURGERS summer 2011 mixtape. Grab it or stream it below. I’ve been assembling this mix over the past week or so and decided to make it flow like most dance parties do- kinda chill at first then ramping up to a few full-on bangers toward the end. Yes I know I include Bit Funk and Breakbot in just about every mix I make, but they’re two of my faves and they’re constantly coming out with awesome new shit; I just can’t help myself. Listen and love.
steve cross loves music and science 
