As we discussed in yesterday's post sophomore albums can be a bitch. Pressure is put upon artists to come up with another winner, usually by hacks in suits who have no discernable soul or personality to begin with. Or talent. If this was the case for The Stills upon entering the studio to record their upcoming album Without Feathers (out May 9th) you would never guess it by listening to the finished product. With a personel switcheroo and somewhat more organic sound, you'd think our boys from Montreal would buckle under the pressure. But no. Not so at all. In fact they come through shinier than ever; glorious songwriting skills intact. I read somewhere online that these tracks weren't as epic sounding as the ones on Logic Will Break Your Heart and I couldn't disagree more. Spend some time with them. Pour yourself a drink; preferably a whiskey. Neat. And then settle in and tell me you don't get goosebumps from the stomping horn drenched Destroyer or the languid first single In The Beginning. I dare you. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

The Stills: In The Beginning

The Stills: Oh Shoplifter

The Stills: Destroyer

::BONUS:: Check out The Stills performing an acoustic version of Oh Shoplifter