The Stills – Oceans Will Rise

Da da da da-da da-da DUM DUM DUM DUH-DUH DUH-DUM. Not the most eloquent of introductions to an album, but having played 'Snakecharming The Masses', the fourth track off Oceans Will Rise for the umpteenth time, I have found what is quite possibly one of the best tracks I've heard this year. It's a moody, emotive piece that screams People In Planes, and it's constantly being pushed along almost robotically by a kick drum/tom combo that doesn't leave the brain enough time to truly figure out what's going on until it all winds up to a ear-bruising end. It positively demands a second listen as soon as it's finished. If only the rest of the album was this strong. Oh, wait, it is! Oceans Will Rise is the third album by The Stills, and it's a bit of a corker.The Stills, who have been going for 8 years, are no fresh faced fivesome from the burgeoning Cana-dicana scene. Nope, they're more the seasoned veterans, and with Oceans Will Rise, it shows. The Stills have managed to create an alternative rock vibe that at times can be stadium rock big, and at other times sounding like music more suited to sweaty, intimate venues. Y'see, one thing a lot of alt bands try and do is cram a metric tonne of variation into one album, and hope to still hold a general 'sound' together, so people could recognise them. And most of the time they fall on their musical arses, being quickly crushed by the overbearing, fetid carcass of bad ideas. And people can sense that straight away. Not so with Oceans Will Rise. The level of difference between tracks can be great, but its also very subtle. It doesn't cross genre boundaries every 30 seconds, but it still stretches the borders of the principality labelled 'The Stills'. Kind of like a surgical strike by a militaristic nation, Oceans Will Rise takes what it needs from other, sometimes more fertile places, and then leaves before it outstays its welcome. So don't expect a drum and bass mashup heading straight into a cool jazz ballad, but do expect the signature stamp from The Stills covering many different elements of the indie spectrum. 'Dinosaurs' is all wailing guitars and 80s synths, while 'Don't Talk Down' is almost two-tone in terms of hammond organs and bouncy basslines. 'Panic' mixes a bit of Kings Of Leon cool with glittering guitarlines and clicking hi-hats, while album finisher 'Statue Of Sirens' achieves the rare feat of being an end track slow-one that doesn't sound horribly cliched. And 'Everything I Build' is an anthem, nothing more, nothing less.The Stills are doing right now what quite a few British indie bands have been trying to do for the past half decade, namely play mid-tempo rock that is refreshingly catchy, not just catchy in a rehashed shit pop hook way. It shames the patriot in me to admit that they are currently doing it so much better as well. And even though my favourite track sounds not much like the rest of the album, the rest of Oceans Will Rise warrants just as much attention. I can see this album bringing a lot more heat to The Stills worldwide, more so even than their 'opening for Paul McCartney to hundreds of thousands of people' slot they played in July. Now, back to the air drumming! 87%The Stills On Myspace