Put aside the numerous mentions of ‘first signing to the Kings Of Leon’s ‘Serpents And Snakes’ imprint’, The Features are a band that don’t need such leg ups once you hit play.
Having been a band for twelve years now, with their roots back in high school, ‘Some Kind Of Salvation’ is the Tennessee quartet’s second album, originally self-released in 2008 after problems with their major label paymasters, and now getting a higher profile release on their new home.
Opening with the quirky, minute-odd length, ‘Whatever Gets You By’, which sounds like a Russian drinking song. An odd start that segues into ‘The Drawing Board’, horn blasts kicking things into life with things turning bar-room again by the track’s closing minute.
Things continue with the piano hammering ‘Foundation’s Cracked’, rocker ‘GMF’ and ‘The Temporary Blues’ displaying the band’s knack for big choruses recalling, at times, a glitter-free Killers.
Deeper in, ‘Baby’s Hammer”s skipping drums drive a lovely low key ballad flecked with piano while ‘Lions’ sounds particularly British with another chrous to kill for. ‘Concrete’ stands alone from the rest of the album, with a drum machine providing the rhythm, it’s a curious one that goes some way to showing the band’s eclectic tastes.
Things get back on track for the closing stretch of ‘Off Track’ and ‘All I Ask’, which builds to an epic, satisfying crescendo. Then we have the album’s brief closer ‘Now You Know’ and it’s all over and you’ll know why KoL have taken such a shine to this band.
It’s been a long (and winding) road for The Features but ‘Some Kind Of Salvation’ looks set to get the attention it deserves.
7/10
Words by Nick Annan
