• Record Label: Vice
  • Release Date: May 9, 2006
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 20
  2. Negative: 1 out of 20
  1. A severe line-up change has left the Stills devoid of much of its original edge.
  2. By abandoning the gloom and doom and embracing quirky power-pop, the Stills seem to have morphed into a less minimalist Spoon, and your replay mileage may vary based on how strongly you liked what they were doing before.
  3. Paste Magazine
    60
    While stocked with skillful guitars, tuneful vocals and the occasional hook, Without Feathers feels oddly unassuming, a plain-vanilla modern-rock record. [Jun/Jul 2006, p.122]
  4. Former admirers, be warned that 'Without Feathers' will send you into a headless, flailing flap; while any newcomers to The Stills will be left with a plump, bald turkey on their hands.
  5. Sometimes we forget why reinventions are so impressive; it’s because they’re so difficult to pull off. Without Feathers, while not terrible, is the mediocre representative of what happens when bands attempt it without the necessary artistic passion.
  6. The songs on Without Feathers are fine, really, and for the most part pretty well-crafted, but there just doesn't seem to be a good reason to listen to them.
  7. The middling tempos of plodding tracks like "Halo the Harpoons" and "It Takes Time" underscore the new lineup's shortcomings.
  8. It wouldn’t be so bad if The Stills didn’t kill the majority of the newly minted loose-limbed percussion and flighty major key romps ("The Mountain")--with drivel choruses and intermediate tricks (flooding the speakers with a porridge of every conceivable instrument).
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 22
  2. Negative: 5 out of 22
  1. BillB
    Aug 22, 2008
    10
    This is my favorite album of the stills so far! Its better than Logic and destroys Oceans will Rise. Every song is catchy and there This is my favorite album of the stills so far! Its better than Logic and destroys Oceans will Rise. Every song is catchy and there isn't one song I dislike. Full Review »
  2. James
    Dec 28, 2006
    9
    First thoughts: this doesn't sound anything like LWBYH, where the hell is Fletcher? Who cares what's been done before. Good luck First thoughts: this doesn't sound anything like LWBYH, where the hell is Fletcher? Who cares what's been done before. Good luck breaking new ground to anyone who tries! I read review after review of reviewers comparing this album to other bands. Of course that is going to happen over and over again since there are decades of artists in this country and others constantly making music... Every day... This album will either captivate you or completely turn you off of the Stills. Just make sure you listen to it before you buy. Full Review »
  3. ArthurV
    Dec 8, 2006
    9
    I was disappointed when I first heard Witout Feathers because it wasn't as emotional and deep and explosive as Logic Will Break Your I was disappointed when I first heard Witout Feathers because it wasn't as emotional and deep and explosive as Logic Will Break Your Heart but after repeated listens WF turns out to be a great, solid album from beginning to end. This is simply a case of albums over bands. How boring would it be if they released an album that sounded like LWBYH every two years for the next eight years? Bands need to evolve and experiment. And that's exactly what they do on this cut. They traded in their downtown loft for a cabin in the woods. This is a well-produced album rock rock album with notable guest stars (Auf Der Mar, Emily Haines) which given how great LWBYH, it had no guest stars. Keep in mind, people, that LWBYH had some bad parts. Not every album can be OK Computer. This record is getting the wrong kind of response. They couldn't keep gettiing compared to Interpol (you can't say their sophomore album was better, by the way), either. Full Review »