Stills Anything But
Changes abound for Montreal-based rockers
Rob Nay

Rather than simply repeat the winning formula that made the band’s debut a success, The Stills chose an entirely different MO for their upcoming disc, Without Feathers.

The new record features a significant shuffling of the group’s lineup and a change in musical direction, along with a shift in how the band approaches songwriting.

“Things weren’t as preordained,” guitarist and songwriter Dave Hamelin says of the process behind Without Feathers. “I really worked with the band on arrangements. The new record was much more of a collaborative approach.”

In contrast, he says the Montreal group’s debut full-length, Logic Will Break Your Heart, featured many songs he brought to the band fully formed.

Released in 2003, that disc attracted wide attention, and subsequent tours with the likes of Broken Social Scene and Interpol helped establish The Stills’ reputation.

Aside from a different songwriting process, Without Feathers also finds the group welcoming tour keyboardist Liam O’Neil as a full-time member. Last fall, they said goodbye to guitarist Greg Paquet.

“There were no arguments. We didn’t fight. He wanted to do other things and we wanted to do other things. We’re still friends,” Hamelin says of the split.

Instead of finding a new guitarist, Hamelin — who says he didn’t feel comfortable behind the drum kit even when playing on the group’s debut — elected to move over to guitar and co-vocal duties. The band then chose Julien Blais to pick up the sticks.

The group also includes bassist Olivier Crowe and vocalist and guitarist Tim Fletcher.

Along with the changes in personnel, the group decided to bring in a few guests to expand Without Feathers, gathering friends they knew through touring or sharing a practice space.

These included the likes of Sam Roberts, Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew and Metric’s Emily Haines, who contributes lush, resonating vocal harmonies to the song Baby Blues.

With its title taken from one of Hamelin’s favourite books by Woody Allen, Without Feathers shows the group moving away from the darker elements of its debut, a disc many critics pinned as steeped in the influence of Joy Division.

In comparison, the new outing seems strikingly upbeat. With lush piano and horn parts augmenting the group’s rock format, the disc conveys richly textured pop music, and songs routinely swell with cascading melodies and intricate arrangements.

“We wanted a London Calling type of sound,” Hamelin says.

He acknowledges that Without Feathers’ songs don’t strongly resemble those of The Clash, but The Stills nevertheless wanted to aim for the variety of the British band’s seminal alb.

“We wanted organs, piano, horns, guitars and other instruments to get a lively, soulful sound,” Hamelin says.

After all the recent upheaval, Hamelin says the band has now reached a newfound level of ease and is ready for the abundance of touring it has slated for the next year.

“We’ve never had so much fun as a band. It’s been nothing but smooth sailing for the last while,” he says.