There are certain bands that you’re sure are going to break out, and then there are certain bands that you can’t understand why they haven’t broken out, like The Features. Their Tennessee roots in the Appalachian South appeals across the country, red state & blue. They’ve got the backing of one of the biggest acts out there today, The Kings of Leon (QRO album review), who’ve brought The Features with them on tour (QRO photos when The Features opened), and whose own label Serpents & Snakes put out both 2009’s Some Kind of Salvation (QRO review) and the band’s new Wilderness. And they’ve got a great mix of up-tempo southern alt-rock with catch and energy. Wilderness is best when The Features stick to the Salvation script, but what more do The Features have to do, anyway?
Wilderness has some ready-made singles in “Kids” and “Golden Comb”, two uprisings of southern indie-rock ‘n’ roll that’ll win anyone over. Admittedly, those are the best of Wilderness, but The Features are able to leaven in a bit of Southern Gothic (opener “Content”), more removed parts (“Another One”), stop-start (“Big Mama Gonna Whip Us Good”), or bigger rock (“Love Is…”), even if the greater the stretch, less the results, like the organ keys of “Rambo” and slower “Rambo”.
Wilderness also isn’t quite the original breath of fresh air that was Salvation, or whenever your first heard The Features. But there’s a wider world that still hasn’t heard The Features, and why not?
MP3 Stream: “Kids“
