Concert Review: The Stills, Changes Really Are No Good

The Stills did not dash hopes on the evening of July 29th at the Horseshoe tavern, downtown Toronto. Fans who were likely a little apprehensive due to the band's shift in sound a few years ago were put right at ease when the band opened up with Lola Stars & Stripes, sounding exactly how they sounded when we all first fell in love with the band. I was incredibly pleased with what I heard, what I saw & what expectations were drawn for their upcoming album. I mean, it's easy to be a little skeptical when your favourite band has pivoted into a bizarre & puzzling direction in the past.

Let me rewind.

Logic Will Break Your Heart, The Stills debut album, was one of those that left you wondering how they were going to follow up with something of equal or greater substance. It was just that good. It rattled your bones & tugged at your despondency, all while leaving you in a perfect state of contentment. I've spent many nights listening to this album in my car at night with a friend or two, parked somewhere secluded, no conversations being had. Just our bodies, The Stills, the stars & the serenity. Logic really set the scene. The milky-smooth voice of Tim Fletcher knit with the ambience delivered by Greg Paquet on guitar was remarkable. Little did we know this would be taken away.

Greg left the band in 2005 after touring & supporting Logic Will Break Your Heart so that he could finish his university degree. Dave Hamelin put his drum sticks down & replaced Greg on guitar and joined on vocals (which was very unfortunate, might I add). Liam O'Neil became a permanent member of the band on keyboards in 2005, & Julien Blais joined The Stills, taking Dave's place behind the drum kit.

Then came the "destroyer", better known as their sophomore album, Without Feathers, in 2005. Many questions arised - many questions indeed. Anyone who had ever listened to Logic Will Break Your Heart was left with the letters 'WTF' embedded into their brains. Not only did Dave move to the front of the stage, but he took over lead vocals with his mediocre voice, leaving Tim's fluent & experienced tones in the background. Also, the astral, otherworldy sound that made most of us fall in love with The Sills in the first place seemed to be a thing of the past. Without Feathers abolished any ambience The Stills ever delivered with it's buoyant, quirky power-pop accent.

PopMatters said it best: Sometimes we forget why reinventions are so impressive; it’s because they’re so difficult to pull off. Without Feathers, while not terrible, is the mediocre representative of what happens when bands attempt it without the necessary artistic passion.

Where euphony, emotion, and proficiency ruled Logic, Without Feathers declined into a jarring no man’s land. I found myself wanting to throw my beatless body onto my bed & start wailing, "I want Greg back!" (I may or may not have done that at some point).

Following their shot at a stylistic bow out to their initial sound, The Stills released Oceans Will Rise in 2008 - a huge welcome return to their classic meant-to-be melodies. This album kept Dave away from the microphone for the most part (sweet!), it fine-tuned their songwriting & it restored the sparkling guitar minimalism of Logic. Was there hope?

Yes.

On April 29, 2010, my inner bells chimed & choirs chanted as the band announced that Greg Paquet would returning to the band & Hamelin would be returning to his seat behind the drums, putting the original line-up back in place.

Fast forward to the performance on July 29th, 2010.

After the band opened with Lola Stars & Stripes, they delved into many other songs off of Logic, such us Gender Bombs, Love & Death, Of Montreal, Ready For It & Fevered. The band sounded tight & with the camaraderie on stage, you could tell that the band, as much as the fans, were more than happy to have Greg back.

The Stills treated the crowd with a Thompson Twin's cover that had never been played by them before, & only played by the Thompson Twins a handful of times (I am still eagerly searching for the song title as I recognized the song but unfortunately don't know the name). Regardless, the band executed the nostalgic 80s sound perfectly, proving where their influences tend to emerge from.

After that, the band played one of their new songs off of their upcoming album, Take, Take, which restored all hope of the old sound coming back with total assurance.



Every band has the right to tamper, shift & try new approaches, but don't ruin a good thing. They had it right when they sang it on the third track of Logic...Changes Are No Good.

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