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Feeder's story is one of resilience, a quality
fully demonstrated in their music throughout their
career, which unbelievably is now over a decade long.
True, they may not push the boundaries in quite the
same way their early efforts Polythene and Yesterday
Went Too Soon suggested they might, but in setting
course for the heart of UK radio they have burned
their songs into the consciousness of many a
listener.
Feeder's winning combination seems to have been a
drawer full of good hooks and pop tunes, enhanced by
singer Grant Nicholas and a vocal delivery that
freely emotes. And despite the obstacles that have
been placed before them, the band have comfortably
outlasted many of their contemporaries.
Feeder have been in the public eye for five years
now, and despite a few good early singles Buck Rogers
was the record to cross them over, an upfront track
that builds on the promise of the worthy, blustery
rock of tracks such as Insomnia. Since then the melody
count has been high, a consistently strong element of
the bands songs, but more recently they have also
brought more emotion into their songwriting. It's easy
to pinpoint this down to the sadly absent drummer
Jon Lee, and it proves difficult to listen to Just The Way I'm Feeling or Forget About
Tomorrow without thinking of him.
What Singles does show is that lately Feeder tracks
tend to fall into two categories pop metal to blow
away the cobwebs, as typified by most recent release
Lost & Found, or the moody ballad that stares into
space, lost in thought. The former works best, with
Nicholas displaying plenty of raw energy, his
instantly recognisable tones comfortably outsmarting
the guitars a big sound for just three people. Too
much more of the latter, however, and Feeder may be in
danger of starting to sound formulaic.
Still, their recent stuff has an assurance that
sits well, a solidly rocking stance with Come Back
Around and Just A Day obvious examples. It will be
interesting to chart where they go from here
it's all very well saying if it ain't broke, don't
fix it, but you get the feeling there is enough
creative energy between the three not to fall into
that trap. For the meantime we can admire their
spirit, and enjoy their spirited pop rock with the
windows wide open.
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