The Lovely Feathers

Montreal’s own Passovah Productions held its one year anniversary party last Friday, March 6 at La Sala Rossa. Packed wall-to-wall with a mostly CEGEP-age crowd, the venue was brimming with skinny jeans, flannel, and giant glasses – a true hipster haven. Passovah Productions director Noah Bick did an excellent job of promoting the event, staging a full-house welcome for the The Lovely Feathers, who are ready to release a new album this May, following their extended hiatus after the far-reaching success of their debut My Best Friend Daniel and the 2006 LP Hind Hind Legs.
Hometown indie favourites Shapes and Sizes took the stage first with their blend of melodic pop. Oscillating from high-energy songs that melted into mellower, magnetic numbers, this local four-piece seemed completely at ease on the stage, exuding confidence and an air of intrigue as Caila Thompson-Hannant’s sultry vocals brought to mind Leslie Feist’s soothing coos. With three of the four band members taking part in the songwriting process, it was ironic to hear Thompson-Hennant remark: “People used to come up to us after hearing one of our songs and ask: ‘Could you play that cover again?’ With their idiosyncratic fusion of cross-genre elements, comparisons to the Fiery Furnaces, or Modest Mouse abound, yet Shapes and Sizes have got their own take on things with which they (and the audience) are quite happy.
The Golden Isles followed next with their seventies inspired psychedelic rock. According to singer Adam Feingold, their share of bad karma has followed the band in the past, appearing in the form of technical glitches at many shows. Formerly known as Crystal Moustache, and having changed their name following last year’s Pop Montreal showcase, The Golden Isles are a modern day incarnation of The Doors. A couple people in the crowd remarked at how similar Feingold’s haunting voice was to Jim Morrison’s bewitching vocals. Inviting the entire audience to the afterparty at Bisou, Feingold morphed from Morrison into Morrissey as the Golden Isles performed a Smiths cover, before ending with a spirited number, complete with tambourines and hearty yelps. These guys are brazen and unrestrained, and likely to spend very little time under the radar. Thankfully, the karma gods spared them any trouble this time.
The Lovely Feathers epitomize why Montreal has been pegged as a prodigious hotbed of rising indie stardom. Their frenetic set included songs from Hind Hind Legs such as “In The Valley” and enlivened the entire crowd with their infectious, choppy pop songs. Hearing them for the first time that evening, my friend remarked at how well-written their songs were. The Lovely Feathers excel at sounding accessible and catchy, despite the Sons and Daughters-like busy complexity of their songs. Brilliant and truly lovely.
They will play at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto for CMW on March 12. Keep your ears up for their album to drop when the snow melts in a couple months time.
There was an option for starving students in attendance to save a couple bucks off the eight dollar ticket by bringing a canned good that would be donated to Dans La Rue. Putting on a most excellent show while supporting charitable causes? Hands up to Passovah Productions for inviting three of Montreal’s finest indie rock bands and working tirelessly to fill the house with an awesome party. Having Pop Montreal director Daniel Seligman as a creative associate must certainly have come in handy. Although I didn’t attend the afterparty at Bisou, this St Laurent staple was sure to be buzzing with the afterglow of a stylishly packed night. Happy Birthday, Passovah Productions! Your mash-up of quirky melodies, psych rock, stomping frenzy pop, and beautiful scenesters was a mighty success.

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