-
Plays: 20[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
The Features
“Harder To Ignore”
Live @ 12th & Porter
November 8th, 2003It’s my birthday today, so I’m going to write about my absolute (I think) favorite song of the 31 that have yet to be written about on this Tumblr (yep! 31! I’m still sitting on some goods!).
“Harder To Ignore” is a rockabilly new-wave ditty about the early physical signs of pregnancy, all funneled through one of the craziest and most manic vocal deliveries of Matthew Pelham’s singing career. From a band that created such sweet pop gems like “Kari-Ann” and “See You Thru,” “Harder To Ignore” shows a band capable of moving at breakneck speeds with an intensity that doesn’t become unwieldy, it sharpens. Rollum’s drumming is on full display here; just listen to how he alternates between soft shuffle and full-on arena filling fills during the bridge. It’s insane and a perfect illustration of how Rollum is capable of derring-do drumming.
“Harder To Ignore” is a blast.
The song debuted at the infamous (to me) February 28th, 2003 show at the Red Rose in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. At the time it was a scant 1:45 in length, it’s brief pop-in and out at the concert being met with bewilderment. I recall the vibe being “…what was that? Was that it?” Not that that’s a bad thing, but the fast pace and heavy cymbal usage was just…something the Features didn’t do all that often. It was different. The song wouldn’t appear again until a show two months later (again at the Red Rose) where the bridge and last chorus made their debut, filling out the song. The song was played regularly for the remainder of 2003, and began to fade into the background in early 2004. By the time Exhibit A, which counts a spectacular version of the song among its tracks, was released in September 2004, the song had become a rare treat. The last known time it was played was in December 2005.
Sadly, “Harder To Ignore’s” active period was apparently during a drought in bootlegging. I only have 4 versions of the song: the recording from Exhibit A, its debut in February 2003, and both versions from its back-to-back appearances at the Features’ two-night-stand at 12th & Porter in November 2003.
A VERSION APPEARS ON
Exhibit A, album release (2004)-
digsyfinallyhasa reblogged this from damageisdone
-
damageisdone posted this
-
THE MUSIC OF THE FEATURES
Official Site
Message Board
The Features Store
Send song requests
The Features are a Nashville, Tennessee based rock band. The purpose of this Tumblr is to provide a comprehensive and interactive database
of the Features' music. The blog is named after the Features song "The Damage Is Done."
If you would like any of the unreleased songs featured on this site, you can download them yourself or email me for copies. I am not able to send every Features song I own in one go, mainly because I don't have a way of hosting all the files, and I also gotta keep some song tricks up my blog sleeve. Specific song requests are the easiest ones to fulfill. It might take a little while to respond but I will try my best. I will not send songs that have been officially released in any capacity, so buy their albums.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
BRETT WHITE is a New York City-based comedian who has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and written for Wizard Magazine. He is currently a writer on the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch team Thunder Gulch. He performs improv comedy with the groups Iron Ruckus and Daddy. He is also the author of the web comic Tales To Diminish and contributes to the nerd-humor site Topless Robot.
His obsession with the Features began when he first saw them on October 18th, 2001. His college years were spent posting on the Features message board under the name DigsySlattery. He has seen the Features over 50 times in concert and never makes a mix CD without including at least one Features song.
Field Notes Theme. Designed by Manasto Jones. Powered by Tumblr.
