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The Features "There's A Million Ways To Sing The Blues" Live @ The Exit/In August 19th, 2005
Man, I love this song. Always great.
A VERSION APPEARS ON: Exhibit A, album release (2004) There’s A Million Ways To Sing The Blues, US single release (2004)
OTHER VERSIONS
The Features "Dark Room" Live @ The Exit/In August 19th, 2005
A VERSION APPEARS ON: Exhibit A, UK album release (2005)
OTHER VERSIONS
The Features "The Way It's Meant To Be" Live @ The Exit/In August 19th, 2005
It's Memorial Day. Crank this at your barbecue. That's the way it's meant to be.
A VERSION APPEARS ON: The Beginning, Universal EP release (2004) Exhibit A, album release (2004)
OTHER VERSIONS
The Features "Winded" Live @ The Exit/In August 19th, 2005 Another possible member of the one-performance club, this recording of "Winded" is another example of a really solid song that got overshadowed by even better ones. I really love the punchiness of the beat and how simple the guitar riff is, leading up to the vertigo of the bridge before the chorus. I also like the faint presence of an "a-whoo hoo" on the chorus. This song could have gone far, I bet, but it debuted right after "Gates of Hell" and right before "Concrete," both of which would end up on Some Kind of Salvation. I'm glad they focused on those two songs, if it meant letting this one go. I'm also having a hard time deciding whether or not "Winded" was used to create "Commotion" off the Contrast EP. The chord progression on the chorus is somewhat similar, but I think that progression can be found in numerous songs. Rollum's drumming is also similar on both songs so...well, it's possible. If only I could find out for sure from the band... "Winded" debuted on and apparently disappeared after August 19th, 2005. That is, unless the song did become "Commotion." LINEAGE: Possibly becomes "Commotion" (2006; songs have similar chords and drum parts)
The Features "Arcata" Live @ The Exit/In August 19th, 2005 Oh man, I can't really describe accurately in words how excited "Arcata" made me when it first started being played. This song is such a powder keg, exploding with furious rock after each short-fuse of a verse. This song was the lynchpin of the post-Exhibit A songs, I feel, and it's heavy disco beat, shredding guitar, throbbing bass line and retro keyboards summed up everything the band was doing at that time. A real new sound was beginning to emerge, with songs like this, "Hold (You Alone)" and "Love Is Golden" taking over for older songs like "Look Out Below" and "Buffalo Head" in the live catalogue. I, for one, am obsessed with the chorus of this song. It is so unlike anything the Features had done at this point. It's so loud and abrasive, so commanding! And really, that bridge into the guitar solo is masterful. The sparse guitar part played over Roger's expertly pulsing bass and Rollum's driving beat is perfect, and Matt's plea to "keep it on the right" is what great songs are made of. At least that's what I think Matt's saying right there. Also, is this song referring to Arcata, California? "Arcata" made its debut on August 13th, 2004 at the Boro in Murfreesboro. This show was highly memorable, due in part to it being the first time the band had played the venue in a year and a half after a quasi-falling out. The show was also memorable because it was another epic Features show with 22 songs played, including the seemingly-forgotten "Oh My Love" and "Paid To Think." "Arcata" would go on to be played at nearly every Features show from that point on until the spring of 2006. For a while, "Arcata" joined the ranks of "God Save Rock & Roll," "Circus" and "Thursday" as closing songs. "Arcata" has not been seen since 2006, which is a shame as it had so much potential.
Today’s request comes from me, as this is one of My Top 10 Features Songs. The Features "Temporary Blues" Live @ The Exit/In August 19th, 2005 I first wrote about the history of "Temporary Blues" on May 27th. This is another great live version of one of my favorite Features songs. It's the latter version of this incarnation of "Temporarly Blues," with the "I wanna go home" bit instead of "I've got the temporary blues" bit. This version is great because of that amazing guitar scratching that Matt does on the second verse, which is probably my favorite noise that a guitar can make. Also, is there a real term for that? Because I don't think "guitar scratching" is correct at all. A VERSION APPEARS ON: Some Kind of Salvation, album release (2008) LINEAGE: Was “Discotheque” (1999; this version shares a bridge) OTHER VERSIONS: Live @ The Boro (May 2nd, 2002) Live @ 12th & Porter (November 8th, 2003)
Today's request comes from Brian. The Features "Hold (You Alone)" Live @ The Exit/In August 19th, 2005 And here it is, a latter day pop masterpiece that has seemingly disappeared completely. I'm finding it hard to think of a song that pefectly encapsulates everything I love about this band as deftly as "Hold" does. That opening off-beat Kinks-style riff, Rollum's arena-sized drumming that pounds away a truly awesome '60s dance beat, Roger's pulse-pounding bass line and Matt's gutteral howl of love...you don't need much else in life (or a Features song). This is pop-perfection on the Beatles level. And then there's Parrish's keyboard part. I'm sure other aspects of Features songs have reduced me to tears of joy at some point, but this keyboard part does it every time. It's so subtle, yet so obvious. It's in front throughout the song, but it's simple nature lets it sneak under the radar. You might miss the adorable nuance of it because of any of the other parts of the song. Then when the keyboard part is highlighted at the end, it blows your mind. The dance that the keys and the guitar have at the end mirrors the metaphorical dance the protagonist is having with his lady love, somehow managing to capture the earnestness, playfulness and rush of emotions that courtship brings on. It's perfection. "Hold (You Alone)" debuted on April 9th, 2004 at Wall Street in Murfreesboro. While the message board seemed to struggle with the correct name of this song for months, continually referring to it as "O You Alone" or "Are You Alone," Matt Pelham settled everything by introducing it as "Hold (You Alone)." I have no idea if the parenthetical was official or something I did, though. "Hold" didn't appear again until August of 2004, but once it came back it enjoyed a healthy run as a near-regular at shows until the shake-up of 2006. The song has since disappeared from the band's repertoire, leaving me a complete wreck. This is the perfect Features song, and it is a shame it's not around.
Today's request comes from April. The Features "Mosis Tosis" Live @ The Exit/In August 19th, 2005 The energy released by the band as they play "Mosis Tosis" could power all of Nashville for exactly two weeks and a day. There isn't a single member of the Features who doesn't risk brain damage from incessant head rattling and movement. I rarely see bass players get as fierce as Roger Dabbs does on this song, and couple that with Matt's throat destroying screams and you have one of the most intense songs in the Features' catalogue. The version presented here also has the original keyboard part as payed by Parrish, which piercingly and enjoyably squeals right along the edges of Matt's guitar riff. "Mosis Tosis" was first played on December 5th, 2003 at Wall Street in Murfreesboro. It was introduced as "Mosis Tosis," but since those aren't actual words the message board had to figure out if the song was called "Mostest Toastest," "Hocus Pocus" or "Mosis Ptosis." Carligula deciphered and came up with the name and spelling (with the silent 'p'). That stuck until the release of the Some Kind of Salvation vinyl clarified that it is spelled "Tosis." People also quickly hypothesized that "mosis tosis" was a phrase that Matt Pelham's twin daughters used to say to mean "I can do this on my own." "Mosis Tosis" was played at every concert since its debut, minus a handful of shows including the band's acoustic sets, immediately propelling it near the top of the band's song rotation. The song underwent a minor tweak with a new keyboard part in 2006 and was released as a vinyl-only track on the band's sophomore album. A VERSION APPEARS ON: Some Kind of Salvation, album release (2008)
