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Feeder

All Bright Electric

Written by: PP on 07/01/2017 21:56:21

British alternative rockers Feeder have been churning out albums for a good twenty years now. The meteoric success of "Echo Park" and its hit single "Seven Days In The Sun" put the band on the lips of pretty much everybody back in 2001, but a string of decent, but not as successful albums during the 2000s suggested the band was steering towards irrelevancy in a rapidly accelerating fashion. Then came 2012's "Generation Freakshow" which arrived just at the right moment to remind us why the 90s were so great for alternative rock. With post-grunge nuances and its accompanying raw, unfiltered production and a sense of real musicianship carrying the record, the end result was an exceptionally varied, and subtle, yet captivating alternative rock album that was among the best in its genre that year.

And with "All Bright Electric", their ninth full-length, the trend continues to be upward sloping. We're still firmly in a British rock realm where the 90s flavor is evenly balanced against indie rock, meaning comparisons to Suede, Idlewild, Stereophonics and others are perfectly valid. But instead of just rehashing the golden years, Feeder produce a noisy, fuzzy expression that's depth-laden and catchy in equal measure. The melodies are complex and decisively not written for a radio audience, rather than for fans of alternative rock as a guitar-driven, vocal supported genre. The latter is where Feeder shines thanks to vocalist Grant Nicholas' fantastic pipes that channel just enough Oasis and Suede for a familiar, yet satisfying expression. He's able to vary his style effortlessly to support everything from the explosive pop rock of "Universe Of Life" to the more experimental and artsy "Divide The Minority". Together, the unit produces soundscapes that are drenched in 90s nostalgia, but also keen to explore possibilities within the confines of distorted alternative rock as a genre. The result can be heard in heavy songs like "Hundred Liars" that combines balladic with crunchy riffs, or on the simpler but darn effective "Eskimo", which is infectiously catchy without drawing in too much pop flavor.

"All Bright Electric" might not be a flashy album. It's not one with a massive hit single to elevate it on the charts, rather than eleven tracks of sheer consistency within the genre. If you long for guitar distortion, raw vocals and a production that hasn't ironed out all of the edges (read: heart and soul) in the music, then Feeder should be on your radar. This is how alternative rock at its best sounds like.

Download: Universe Of Life, Paperweight, Divide The Minority
For the fans of: Idlewild, Suede, Silverchair, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers
Listen: Facebook

Release date 07.10.2016
Cooking Vinyl