Feeder
The Singles

THE REVIEW

Drawing a line and starting over. This can effectively summarize the meaning of this "The Singles", a collection of the most beautiful hits by the Welsh band Feeder. The early part of Grant Nicholas and his band's career, the more hard-pop/rock phase, is less represented (as indeed some great numbers like "Stereo World" and "Tangerine" are missing), while there is a wide emphasis on the more intimate and poppier side of their musical journey (the post John Lee phase, the drummer who took his own life in 2002).

The Feeder are indeed a somewhat unusual combo; they started as a guitar band in the vein of post-grunge American groups like, just to name one, the Smashing Pumpkins, yet in the same period they stood out for Nicholas's ability to write excellent pop-rock gems like the hit "High" or the less popular "Suffocate", which closes this album. A trend that decidedly took shape in the post-2002 era of the Welsh band; after Lee's tragedy, with the exception of some sporadic episodes (like the present "Come Back Around", "Shatter" and "Pushing The Senses"), the band opted for melancholic and dreamy atmospheres ("Tumble And Fall" and "Forget About Tomorrow", where a more delicate Billy Corgan emerges) which outline absolute gems of elegant and evocative pop ("Tender", where Lennon's ghost hovers undisturbed, or "Just The Way I'm Feeling", perhaps Feeder's quintessential britpop piece).

There are three unreleased tracks, two of which were released as singles; the first, "Lost & Found", delivers a powerful riff reminiscent of Grohl's Foo Fighters, while the other, "Save Us", is a beautiful electric ballad where the guitars continue to dominate. "Burn The Bridges", which stayed under the radar, is perhaps the best of the three, always pleasantly rocking and melodic. As confirmed by drummer Richardson, the sound of the three unreleased tracks is indicative of Feeder's new work, expected in early 2008.

The reason why this band, outside the United Kingdom, hasn't achieved the commercial success that other bands with the same sound roots have, remains unknown. The potential hits are there, I'm thinking of "Feeling A Moment" or "Just The Way I'm Feeling" ("Buck Rogers" is a case that hasn't been repeated), but in countries like Italy, they remain almost a niche phenomenon. Is this better? Perhaps. The important thing is that they continue to produce beautiful songs as they have done so far.