The Wild Feathers: Lonely Is a Lifetime
Details
Genre: RockPros:
"Goodbye Song" is truly worth checking out; versatility and newer style choices highlightedCons:
Missing some of the fire showcased on their debut LPAlthough mild instead of wild, the sophomore album by Nashville rock band still shows off versatile skill
Although mild instead of wild, the sophomore album by Nashville rock band still shows off versatile skill
Southern rock, even fusions of it, are highly prevalent on the surface of mainstream music now. Nashville rock band The Wild Feathers is riding that upswing now thanks to their sophomore album on Warner Bros, Lonely Is a Lifetime. The offering, once again produced by Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant), opens with adrenaline-filled performances and hefty radio nuggets like the combustible opener “Overnight,” “Sleepers” and the dreamy mid-tempo “Don’t Ask Me to Change.” Then comes the eight-minute, melancholic “Goodbye Song,” clearly the album’s mountaintop moment. For something this rewarding, it’s a shame it plays so early in the album. Sounding off as track three, the band gives off an orgasm of rock channeling Allman Brothers jamming and even psychedelic glimpses inside Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” Both Joel King and Ricky Young carry the verses and shines light on the memorable chorus: “You got the money, you got the drugs, I got the time.” Then Taylor Burns comes in like a tornado, shredding in full force as if he’s possessed by ‘70’s Southern rock gods.
Much of Lonely Is a Lifetime dials things back some from the combustible, raw energy that exalted the Wild Feathers into orbit on their eponymous debut. It’s more mild than wild. Avett Brothers-esque acoustic folk (“Lonely Is a Lifetime”), country-tinged pop (“Help Me Out”) and feelgood classic rock (“Happy Again”) are scattered throughout the eleven-track set. To their credit, the album displays a more versatile band honing in on crossover potential. You can sense their yearnings in the sunny sing-a-long sounds of “Into the Sun” and in their best Bob Dylan tracings on “Hallelujah.” All of this may disappoint those who miss the rowdy, blistering Southern-spiced heartland rock of “Backwoods Company,” “The Ceiling” and “I’m Alive,” but the ambition to become the next great American rock band is still in sight. They know what sounds work best on them; they add a few of those cuts into their catalog on this round. They also aren’t afraid to add a few new notches to their musical template. While thinking on what’s best for their live sets, the Wild Feathers deserves one or two ballads and radio-friendly pop/rock gems to balance things out. In the end, these experiments and even the softer sides add a bit more dexterity to what most now expect from them.