Feeder
Polythene

THE REVIEW

What is art? What does it really mean to be an artist? Try asking Nicholas Grant and then analyze his answer. If you can't be among the fortunate ones who have the burden as well as the honor of meeting the destined singer-songwriter from Cardiff, then you can search for the answer by listening to the restless "Polythene."

Still worth asking, where can creativity reach? When the melancholy British notes intersect with the playful American punk rock nuances, not forgetting that someone there, in the States, launched rough grunge, that's when the 'melting pot' labeled Feeder comes to life.

It's basically useless to explain the tracks of this album simply because the overlap of emotions created while listening to the first work of the Welsh band is practically indescribable. The timid roar of the 'semi' title track "Polythene Girl" disappears submerged by a sympathetic and winning punk rock chorus. But this is nothing more than a prelude, a prelude that serves almost as a cover-up, because in my opinion the goal of this album is to hide the cards at hand, in other words, we are too good but we don't want to make it understood yet. And it's in this context that the alternatives "My Perfect Day" and "Suffocate" fit perfectly, not to mention the carefree "Cement" and the first big ballad "High", Mr. Grant shows that he's not just one of the many, he can afford to step out of reality for a moment just to feel different, "I'm going out for a while so I can get high with my friends" sings repeatedly the genius from Wales. The extreme pleasure that the trio has in playing up and down between notes is fully understood also in "Radiation" and the cheerful "Stereo World", a track already part of their debut demo "Swim."

Lots of sweet words for the three Nippo-Brits (for those who don't know, Taka Hirose the bassist is Japanese), and so I know you might think I'm biased, one of the many fanatics of the "brit-movement," well yes, I am, the problem actually isn't that, the problem is that if you notice the touch of class of this CD, you will become followers too. In the end, this is the power of art, to involve as many people as possible in something that can't be described, I may not be Nicholas Grant, but I think my definition works just fine.