Here's a band that it's difficult not to love. Exhibit A, the debut album from Nashville's Features is finally here, and it more than lives up to the expectations of their earlier releases. The lyrical preoccupations of frontman Matthew Pelham (parenthood, domesticity, old age) would normally seem mawkish, but they're backed with some of the hardest garage rock around; XTC-esque melodies, organs, rock-solid bass, squalling feedback and huge choruses. Cap all of … mehrthis off with Pelham's distinctively strangulated delivery and Rollum Haas's energetic, Keith Moon-ish drumming, and you have a concoction it's hard to resist. Highlights are numerous as the songs are mostly excellent, dropping off only towards the end on filler like "The Idea Of Growing Old" (where the musical power doesn't quite overcome the sugary lyric) and the inexplicable choice for a single "Leave It All Behind". However, even these will stick with you for days. So far so good, but the album loses many points by not including some of the band's US-only releases, especially the anthemic "Thursday" (their best song) and the sweet "Bumblebee", which would have lifted this up a notch. However, for what it is, Exhibit A is a perfect, highly crafted, irresistible power-pop masterpiece. --Thom Allott weniger

1 - Exhibit A
2 - Way It's Meant To Be
3 - Me & The Skirts
4 - Blow It Out
5 - There's A Million Ways To Sing The Blues… mehr
6 - Leave It All Behind
7 - Exorcising Demons
8 - Idea Of Growing Old
9 - Some Way Some How
10 - Situation Gone Bad
11 - Harder To Ignore
12 - Circus weniger