It must be clear to regular readers of this blog that i have developed a bit of an obsession with new band The Feeling not seen since i went a bit psycho for Maroon 5 back in late 2003. Oh yes since then i have fallen in love with the Killers, the Scissters, Magic Numbers, etc and adore all those bands but The Feeling have something about them that appeals to me in a different way. Their debut album 12 Stops and Home shows that they can write ornate and soaring conversational love songs full of hear, bittersweet observation and unashamed street level Englishness. And rather brilliantly, The Feeling have an ability even within the most ambitios song structure to sound as if they are singing to you in a small intimate setting. There are supertramp influences all over the debut disc, yet the songs have that something that even ELO's best songs didn't have - charm. A lot of reviewers have given this album a great write up but also said it's this years guilty pleasure. Well for me, there is no guilt in loving this, its all pleasure (god how cheesy).
I am devastated however, that the excellent Fill My Little World "only" made number 10 this week. Its one of my favourite songs of the year and certainly deserved a higher chart placing than the dreadful Daz Sampson. I just despair sometimes i really do :)
