The Stills

Canada's Arts & Crafts imprint is dominated by acts that operate on the margins of rock rather than the dead center. That makes the Stills the white sheep of the family. On Oceans Will Rise, their latest recording, singer/guitarist Tim Fletcher and his crew present their songs in a very...

By Michael Roberts

October 23, 2008

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Canada's Arts & Crafts imprint is dominated by acts that operate on the margins of rock rather than the dead center. That makes the Stills the white sheep of the family. On Oceans Will Rise, their latest recording, singer/guitarist Tim Fletcher and his crew present their songs in a very straightforward, audience-friendly manner, without the sort of oddball arrangements, genre-melding experiments or eccentric lyrics that mark, for example, the various projects associated with Broken Social Scene. As a result, the group doesn't stand out from the drove in quite the way its fellow Canucks do, particularly on ultra-commercial songs such as "Being Here," which seems specifically designed for fist-pumping. But the intelligence and economy of ditties like "Snakecharming the Masses" ultimately shine through, marking the Stills (appearing at the Fillmore with Kings of Leon and We Are Scientists) as worthy Arts & Crafts representatives despite their unusual normalcy.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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