The Stills | |
|---|---|
 The Stills performing in Toronto, Ontario. From left to right: Dave Hamelin, Liam O'Neil, Tim Fletcher and Olivier Corbeil. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Montreal,Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | Indie rock,post-punk revival |
| Years active | 2000–2011 |
| Labels | Vice Records,679 Recordings,Drowned in Sound Recordings,Arts & Crafts |
| Past members | Tim Fletcher Greg Paquet Olivier Corbeil Dave Hamelin Liam O'Neil Julien Blais |
The Stills were aCanadianrock band fromMontreal,Quebec, formed in 2000 and disbanded in 2011.
The band's original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and guitaristTim Fletcher, guitarist Gregory Paquet, bassist Olivier Corbeil and drummerDave Hamelin. The band members had known each other since the age of 12 and played in various bands prior to forming the Stills, includingChinatown,[1] Amentum,[2] and The Undercovers.[3]
TheirEP,Rememberese, was released on June 17, 2003, byVice Records (and in the UK by679 Recordings), followed by their debut album; both were produced byGus Van Go.Logic Will Break Your Heart was released in North America on October 21, 2003, and in the UK on February 23, 2004, and included the singles "Lola Stars and Stripes", "Changes Are No Good" and "Still in Love Song". KeyboardistLiam O'Neil played on several of the album's tracks. The album elicited critical acclaim and comparisons toInterpol andEcho & the Bunnymen, withAllMusic citing its "brooding post-punk soundscapes and art rock swagger".[4]
Paquet left the band in 2005 to finish his university degree, and Hamelin moved to guitar, sharing lead vocal duties with Fletcher. Julien Blais joined as drummer, and O'Neil became a full-time member of the band on keyboards.
The Stills' second album,Without Feathers, was released May 9, 2006, on Vice Records (and in the UK byDrowned in Sound Recordings). Again produced by Van Go, it marked a distinct shift in sound, from the 1980s-influencedpost-punk revivalism of the debut to a happier, moreAmericana-oriented sound, whichPitchfork termed "cheerful and heartfelt".[5][6] It featured guest appearances fromSam Roberts,Emily Haines (Metric) andJason Collett (Broken Social Scene).[7] They supportedKings of Leon on that band's UK spring tour in 2007; in the same year, they were featured, along withKarkwa,The Besnard Lakes andMahjor Bidet, on the bill of Quebec Scene, a concert inOttawa sponsored byCBC Radio 3.[8]
They signed withArts & Crafts[9] for the release of their third album,Oceans Will Rise, which was released August 19, 2008.[10] Critics noted that the album "reconciled the mannered 1980s sound that first got them noticed with the open-hearted earthiness of their sophomore effort".[11]
On July 20, 2008, the Stills played inQuebec City, opening forPaul McCartney, for the city's 400th anniversary. On February 7, 2009, they played atNathan Phillips Square as part ofToronto'sWinterCity Festival, and again supported Kings of Leon on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in March 2009.
On March 28, 2009, the Stills were awarded twoJuno Awards for their albumOceans Will Rise, in the categories of Best New Group and Best Alternative Album.[12]
On April 29, 2010, the band announced that Paquet was rejoining the band and Hamelin was moving back to drums.[13]
On April 15, 2011, the Stills announced on their site that they had officially disbanded.[14]
In 2009, Hamelin, O'Neil and Broken Social Scene drummerJustin Peroff formed the band Eight and a Half, releasing their self-titled debut in 2012.
O'Neil played various instruments onKings of Leon's 2010 albumCome Around Sundown,[15] and is involved withhip-hop actDa Gryptions.[16]
Fletcher sang background vocals onthe Sam Roberts Band's 2014 albumLo-Fantasy[17] and played guitar for Canadian rapperk-os.[18] In 2014, he formed the band Beat Cops withMikey Heppner ofPriestess, releasing the albumMean Streets in 2015.[19][20] That same year, Fletcher released the albumPunks on the Moon with his project Voizes.[21][22] Fletcher then formed Megative with ex-Stills producer Gus Van Go, songwriting duo Like Minds (Jesse Singer and Chris Soper) and dancehall performer Screechy Dan. In 2017, the ensemble debuted with the single "More Time".[23] On July 27, 2018, Megative released their self-titled debut album on Last Gang Records.
| Year | Album details | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Heat | US Indie | ||
| 2003 | Logic Will Break Your Heart
| — | 39 |
| 2006 | Without Feathers
| 6 | 18 |
| 2008 | Oceans Will Rise
| 17 | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
