ALBUM REVIEW: Feeder – “Silent Cry”
A version of this originally published at Orange.co.uk, for whom I’m now writing.
Necessity is the mother of invention, according to some ancient Greek bloke. So does the complete lack of invention shown on Silent Cry mean that the last thing the world really needs is another album from the band who bought us ‘Buck Rogers’?
It’d be churlish to suggest that we’ve never needed the Welsh trio. Their early records helped fill a gaping Britrock void in the late 90s, and since 2001′s Echo Park they’ve unleashed a handful of mini pop-classics that sit beautifully alongside ‘Bohemian Like You’ and ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s on local radio stations across the land (admittedly, a back-handed compliment if ever there were one).
But the band’s sixth record abandons that joyous melodic sensibility in favour of a faux-anthemic Snow Patrol approach. Opening track and lead single ‘We Are The People’ is a directionless dirge, produced, dubbed and layered to within an inch of its life to hide a chronic lack of what those in the music biz call ‘bollocks’. And while ‘Miss You’ hints at Feeder’s previous scratchy punk-pop brilliance, it’s one of only a few moments of light relief in an album full of humourless attempts at mature radio ballads.
Silent Cry’s 45 minutes are an overlong and tiring listen. At 13 tracks, it’s like having to explain the same thing over and over to a stupid co-worker. And as the sort of intellectual giant who reads Plato-quoting record reviews in their spare time, surely you don’t need music that reminds you of that feeling?
oh fuck off, you know NOTHING about real music.
jesus
June 24, 2008 at 2:33 pm
lol gee and i’m guessing you know EVERYTHING about music?
nice work Jonathan
p
June 25, 2008 at 3:48 am
Cheers P. And Jesus, what happened to “love thy neighbour” and all that? ;-)
Jonathan Deamer
June 25, 2008 at 1:29 pm
yeah you have no idea dude. reviewing that album really was above your station you should really be reviewing your attitude and taste in music
dave
June 26, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Sounds like someone thinks they know quite a bit more than they actually do about the technicalities of recording. Anyway, it’s a case of different strokes for different folks, and it’d ba a boring old world if we all liked the same thing. personally, I liked the sound of it, and thought it was a nice change to see them go back more towards the sound that people people got used to, and mate… there were other albums before echo park, try polythene, or yesterday went too soon. Snow patrol? Do me a favour! Thankfully it sounds nothing like that awful BS that those jocks put out.
damon
July 3, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Have you actually listened to the album? Have you listened to Snow Patrol? Different, isn’t it?
I wrote more on the Orange website. I can’t believe you wrote such a pathetic review. If you don’t like them, give good reasons WHY and what could have been improved. Writing insults is just pathetic.
Learn to make a review properly.
Wick
July 14, 2008 at 3:53 am
i agree, the album is dreadul and uninspiring
mattyc14
August 20, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Go to a Feeder gig, i think you will change your mind!
-Also your a cock…
Tom
November 3, 2008 at 1:30 pm