Count
Features among the new generation of bands influenced by the
Elephant 6collective; in essence, their music reflects and reconfigures a strain of classicist
pop that was itself already a house of mirrors drawing on the
British Invasion,
sunshine pop, and more esoteric cult obsessions. Like fellow neo-revisionists
the Shins,
Features draw upon the basic
E6 sound -- indelible melodies, lush arrangements, and clever harmonies -- but smooth out the approach with a cleaner, sharper production and tighter, more focused songcraft; over the course of just five songs and 15 minutes,
The Beginning covers an impressive swath of ground, from the
Elvis Costello-esque "Walk You Home" to the
Ray Davies-like
"Bumble Bee." (The title track even evokes
Cloudland-era
Pere Ubu.) Meanwhile, the lyrics consistently conjure images of childbirth and new life -- and as concept records go, give
Features credit for restricting theirs to EP length. ~ Jason Ankeny
