These days I have to rush back to my archived paraphernalia to remind myself that when Feeder emerged nearly a decade ago they sounded kind of like the Smashing Pumpkins; that they really did win the 1997 Album Of The Year in a leading heavy metal magazine; and that this is the same band who used to tour with the likes of Reef and Terrorvision rather than REM and Coldplay.
Tumble And Fall, the taster for the forthcoming Pushing The Senses album, appears to complete the transformation from noise to poise that Comfort In Sound started with a vengeance, something that is all the more surprising given that new, full-time drummer Mark Richardson used to ply his trade with Little Angels and Skunk Anansie.
Tumble And Fall is drum-led all right, but in a laid back vibe, and features plenty of jangly (some would say flimsy) guitars, a fairly strong melody (a trait that Feeder have always retained), and summery "yeah, yeah, yeahs". In fact, during the latter you can hear Travis' Fran and Dougie giving it some in the background. Let's hope that Feeder's new, decidedly middle-of-the-road cloak doesn't turn them into an Invisible Band...
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