Feeder, Tallulah - album review
Bravo Feeder - the Welsh rockers have made it to the magic number 10 for studio albums released.
So many bands can only dream of this longevity, others make it but maybe should have stopped many before.
But Feeder have overcome adversity and survived a decrease in chart success to create still relevant music some 22 years after their debut, Polythene, hit the shelves.
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This album feels very nostalgic. It pays homage to their 'glory years' - a period they haven't always been comfortable with by the way - without being a direct copy.
There is ease in the writing. Acceptance of their sound. A happiness with where they are in their career.
It's great to hear. Grant Nicholas' voice has dropped an octave or two over the years and this modern, relaxed vocal approach oozes assuredness in what they are doing and capability at achieving it.
Take the track Blue Sky Blue, a stadium anthem with a big chorus where Nicholas holds court over big percussion and rising and falling guitar melodies. It harks back to when British guitar music was at the top of its game, encompassing Feeder's soaring heights of Echo Park (2001), Comfort in Sound (2002) and Pushing the Senses (2005).
The melodic and understated title track features another of these big choruses that comes sandwiched between melancholic and thoughtful verses accompanied by permeating drums.
The band say the album grew organically in response to the acclaim they received for their greatest hits tour, and it feels that way. “It’s a classic Feeder record,”says Nicholas, and he is spot on. We don't have the huge singles like Buck Rogers or Just A Day, but we don't need them. As mentioned, this isn't a carbon copy of a previous record but "road trip through our pan-American influences".
The rockier Kyoto could have been born in the nu-metal rise of that same period with that deep and throaty opening. The riffs here carry a certain amount of danger in their depths and sound great.
There's also the steady and building heights of Daily Habit, which carries some classic Feeder-esque riffs within.
They've previously had that album called Comfort In Sound. But this fits the bill too. It's great to see a band so relaxed and happy.
Rating: 7/10
Feeder play at Birmingham's O2 Institute on November 11
