Search - Feathermerchants :: Unarmed Against the Dark

Pleasant folk-pop

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 03/27/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Feathermerchants' latest album is one of those pleasant indie albums that you won't really remember too vividly afterwards. With nice vocals, passable songs and a backdrop of indie-folk-pop, "Unarmed Against the Dark" is an enjoyable but unexceptional listen.Starting off with the soft "All The Way Home," the Feathermerchants blend together downtempo folky songs (the pensive "9th Ward," the downbeat "Dan" and "Reptile Mind") with vaguely poppy tunes (catchy "Daffodils"). From time to time they break out of the folk-pop mold with the vaguely gothic ballads (prayerlike "Ursuline") and a few dashes of country."Unarmed Against the Dark" is a nice album. Not a great album, but a nice one. It mixes a few genres and tosses in some poetry, sung with sweet vocals and with some decent background accompaniment. Except for the lead singer, there isn't anything that really stands out about Feathermerchants -- it's all okay, but not great.The biggest musical weakness of "Unarmed" is that most of the songs sound more or less the same. The tunes are somewhat different, but they're almost all downtempo arrangements of guitar and percussion, with a dash of bass and bouzouki. For that matter, the guitar and drums aren't that original-sounding; they're capable, but not really noticeable for anything too good. Shannon Kennedy's voice is the strongest part of Feathermerchants: assured, melodious and capable of holding up through every song. Those songs themselves tend to be quite evocative and poetic. At times the poetry stumbles in a big way ("I've come to talk before your nails get too long..."), and becomes too repetitive (the pointless "Temporary like a..." lines). But the lyrical sweetness of "Dan" and "Heartbreak Beat" make up for those.Feathermerchants' "Unarmed Against the Dark" isn't terribly varied or unusual, but is worth a listen if pop-folk is your thing. It lacks in texture, but is still a pretty listen."

Buy this cd!

amazon3364 | brooklyn, ny | 09/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i'm so excited to have found this band, even moreso because they're from nyc! finally a great female-fronted band from the big apple....the musicianship is outstanding, the lyrics nicely off the beaten path, the singer's voice beautiful and soul stirring...if you like the sundays, innocence mission or any other bands which feature beautiful female voices, you need to pick this one up.additionally, it seems from their website like they're trying to do this without major label support, which to me is even more reason to support them...they're great artists, and they're doing their part to "fight the machine" which has exploited so many performers before them....i can't wait to see them live!"

Beautiful Lyrics and Melody

Rick Keddy | Edison,NJ | 09/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The beautiful lyrics and melodies are outstanding. The songs hit the heart and inner soul and bring back memories which have been forgotten."