Featuring Birds [Import]

The harmony between Coomes and Weiss is as fragile as their apparent will to live, which makes it all the more beautiful. At their best, for instance, "Hard To Turn Me On," Quasi can be gut-wrenchingly personal. Judging from my knowledge of this band, this song is downright GIVING to the listener. There are some weak points on this album, but that's like criticising the Mona Lisa because portraits have been done before. Bad analogy, nevermind... "Happiness is Guaranteed," the leadoff song, is a little too heavy-handed, and "The Happy Prole" has been done better by older bands with the same philosophy, but what can you do, eh?

Listening to Sam Coomes sing, I can tell he really means every word. I can feel the self-importance as well, but that comes with the territory. "Never Wanna See You Again" almost feels like one of those cheeseball triumph songs of a generation. I swear, and I listen to a good deal of music, the first time I heard this album, I actually felt optimistic concerning modern music. Quasi would be ashamed...

When I brought it home and unwrapped the shrink wrap and played it, I, at first, didn't like it too much. I was into early R.E.M. and new-wavish alternative from the eighties, and wasn't particularly into indie rock. It wasn't until (oddly enough) "It's Hard To Turn Me On" played when I started getting into it. By the time the last song ended ("Only Success Can Fail Me Now"), I was completely hooked. I put the CD on repeat and read a good portion of a novel I wanted to read for long time.

The lyrics are absolutely wonderful. Everyone knows the perfectly clever opening to "California," but there's so much more here, too -- for example, the few lines in "Ape Self Prevails In Me Still" aptly describe how I feel about myself right now. "The desire to disappear, yet remain here/It is clear, dear - ape self prevails in me still." I want to get out of this awful small town, but I somehow, in some strange way, I feel compelled to stay. Simple, yeah, but perfect.

"I Never Want To See You Again" is, besides "Only Success Can Fail Me Now," probably the standout here. The intensity of the performance combined with Sam Coome's passionate delivery hits me every single time.

There are no weak tracks in here, unless you count "Birds" (a minute and a half of birds making annoying noises) as a real song, which it isn't. Just a nifty little segue, pretty much.

The last track, "Only Success Can Fail Me Now," is simply one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard in my short, dumb little life. As another reviewer said, you never, ever want this song to end. It ends this album on a very high note.

If you haven't heard "Featuring 'Birds'" yet, you really need to. It might not hit you right away, but soon enough, in full effect, it will -- and you will be hooked.