The Stills
Logic Will Break Your Heart
On Sale Now
For $9.98

“Changes are no good” says the third track of The Stills full-length debut Logic Will Break Your Heart. That pretty much sums up the way they want to present themselves. They’re not reinventing any genre, but instead, carrying over certain grooves and styles from the past. After building a little hype with their EP this year, Rememberse, this is a band that surpasses its publicity by exceeding expectations. Even without a strong marketing campaign, these guys could make it just fine all on their own.

After a touring stint with the sorely overrated Interpol, The Stills are primed to be the next big thing, and they should be. Nearly every single track is a gorgeous wonder to behold. Just about every single song on this record has value and beauty. Here is a band that is not once ostentatious, but instead, they smoothly slither across an atmosphere that is more welcoming than anything that gets played to death on the radio. The Stills are not show-offs, but instead, leading the light in their own distinctive way, even if occasionally the influences are upfront. Lyrically, it’s about sketches and one-line choruses that manage to work even if they are unspectacular. Pieces of the past mixed in with simple statements like “Let’s Roll.” Not every lyricist has to be a lit major with an affinity for Keats. It works well for the group.

Their strength lies in sonic construction, noticeably opening with single-picked guitars focusing on simple melodies with one string. They enjoy flailing in and out with reverberation all the way through. Each track is infected with a dark ambiance, accompanied with flickers of hope spliced in between for good measure. Even if at times they hint at Britpop, they rock harder, longer, and with a stronger objective. There are moments of Sonic Youth-like gazes while the aforementioned third track sounds like a New Order b-side. The overall effect is ethereal in nature, managing to rock, roll, and soothe all in one three minute pop refrain. They get you to dance, as they get you to relax, like the comedown from a whiskey high. It’s easy to push them immediately into The Strokes camp, but The Stills seem to engage on a deeper level, sounding sincere and harmonious without trying too hard. It comes natural to these guys.

From track 3 on, it never trails off into tedium. “Let’s Roll” could put them on the radio and give them the gratitude they truly deserve. “Yesterday Never Tomorrows” has a playful electronic xylophone cue that bleeds into the vocal line. It’s a life-affirming moment. Even better are “Ready For It” and “Allison Krause” which both sound like tunes directly out of Radiohead’s My Iron Lung EP. If they play their cards right, they could be dubbed the future New Wave Radiohead, combining aggressive beats with spiraling melodies that stick with you long after the silence has deafened you. If they develop lyrically in the future, and experiment even more drastically, they could be the next big thing… or alienate themselves into oblivion. I’m betting on the former. As each song swirls and wavers, the band’s sensibility to groove and move never stumble off course. Logic Will Break Your Heart is without question, one of 2003’s very best records. Let it infiltrate your soul.

Copyright © 2010 ModernRock.com All Rights Reserved