Pitchfork: The Stills Tour in Advance of Second LP

2005 was plagued with Canadian success stories, but Montr�al's the Stills were tr�s inconspicuous. Which isn't to say they've been busy doin' nothing-- between altering their lineup dramatically, writing songs for a new album and co-headlining a Mexican festival with Incubus(?!) in December, the band has been scheming its next series of moves. Most important among these will be the release of sophomore album Without Feathers on May 9 via Vice Recordings.

Everyone knows that collective recording action is the new lonely boarding-room four-track solo session. So, not to be outdone by the incestuous nature of other Can-rock acts, the Stills enlisted some help while making the new album. Among the famous guest names included on Without Feathers are Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene on "She's Walkin' Out", Metric's Emily Haines (who had a cameo in the band's "Love and Death" video) on "Baby Blues", and Sam Roberts on "Oh Shoplifter".

As for the album's sound, the band promises big changes from their debut, 2003's Logic Will Break Your Heart. "It's a return to simplicity," says singer/guitarist Tim Fletcher. "Fuck the effects. Plug in and feel something".

Without Feathers, but with tracklisting:

01 In the Beginning
02 The Mountain
03 She's Walkin' Out
04 Helicopters
05 In the End
06 Oh Shoplifter
07 Outro
08 Halo the Harpoons
09 It Takes Time
10 Destroyer
11 Baby Blues
12 The House We Live In

"In the Beginning" is currently streaming from the band's MySpace page.

With regards to lineup changes, this is how the sides align to make the Rubik: guitarist Greg Paquet left the Stills last year. According to the band it was "an amicable split" with "no drama". Don't these people know we thrive on tension and bad breakups? Just ask Pitchfork's Aniston/Pitt correspondent.

Multitasking drummer Dave Hamelin replaced Paquet, stepping out from behind the kit to compliment Fletcher in singing and guitaring. Taking over for Hamelin is former Sea Ray drummer Colin Brooks. Finally, touring keyboardist Liam O'Neil has been made a full-fledged member of the band, with all the union dues and groupie responsibilities that entails.

The Stills have a few Canadian dates, as well as a stop at SXSW, scheduled in March. A full-on North American tour will follow in May.

Still in love:

03-04 St. Jean-sur-le-Richelieu, Quebec - Caf� Flora
03-07 Guelph, Ontario - Vinyl
03-09 St. Catharines, Ontario - L3 Nightclub
03-10 Peterborough, Ontario - Trasheteria
03-11 Collingwood, Ontario - Bluemountain
03-17 Austin, TX - Stubb's (SPIN SXSW party)
03-18 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa (SXSW) *
04-02 Boston, MA - TT the Bear's
04-03 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
04-04 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge #
04-05 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge #
04-08 Baltimore, MD - Sonar #
04-09 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop $
04-10 Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
04-11 Columbus, OH - Basement
04-13 Chicago, IL - Double Door
04-14 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity
04-15 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground
04-17 Salt Lake City, UT - Club Sound
04-19 San Diego, CA - Casbah
04-20 Los Angeles, CA - Troubador
04-21 San Francisco, CA - Popscene
04-24 Portland, CA - Doug Fir
04-25 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Caf� <br> 04-26 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
04-28 Calgary, Alberta - Broken City
04-30 Edmonton, Alberta - U of A Power Plant
05-01 Regina, Saskatchewan - Distrikt
05-02 Winnipeg, Manitoba - West End Cultural Center
05-09 Kingston, Ontario - Elixir
05-11 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix
05-13 Montreal, Quebec - Spectrum
05-17 Hamilton, Ontario - Underground
05-18 London, Ontario - Call the Office