Feline
Save Your Face

A pretty face on the cover, blood-red lipstick, heavy mascara, and a nose ring, a black cat inviting you to save face. It's how the Feline present themselves, authors of this unique English rock album teetering between the decadent allure of Placebo and the vocal melodies of the Cranberries. It all owes to singer/bassist Georgina Prebble (known as Grog), a writer endowed with a versatile voice that allows her to stand out in unrestrained sonic assaults in a "difficult" second half of the album but, after repeated listens, perhaps even better than the first ("Property" and "Can't Help Myself"), while also indulging in dreamy melancholy atmospheres in numerous slow pieces (among which the touching "Mother" stands out). The guitarist Drew Richards then intervenes to enhance almost all the tracks with synth inserts, often cloaking them with a dark sheen which, combined with the raw rock side, creates a truly interesting union whose fascination grows after repeated listens. Lasting only a season, they failed to seize success, and, also plagued by countless lineup changes, they quickly disbanded, leaving almost no trace of themselves. But listening to them again or rediscovering them after letting them gather dust on the shelf for many years once again demonstrates how sometimes music must be uncovered like an archaeologist with a precious artifact buried long ago and who knows where... Rating 7