Lopez Blogs

Three random things sprung to mind after I listened to the sophomore set by The Feeling this morning that I need to get off my chest before I launch into my rather obsessive review:

1. The Feeling were one of the reasons I started blogging two years ago today - I had fallen deliriously in love with Fill My Little World just as Sewn was breaking big on the UK charts. I needed a bigger forum to vent my love for this aces new band, and thezapping did just that. I then went on to write about them and their singles and multiple cover versions (Dr Pressure, Video Killed The Radio Star, Fat Bottomed Girls, Walk Like An Egyptian, Don't Give Up, You're So Vain) a ridiculous amount of times as well as seeing them in concert 6 times. That's truth. That's love.
2. I was mildy disappointed but ultimately not surprised by their chart position of number 9 for the single I Thought it Was Over. After a promising debut on downloads alone at number 12 last week, I did expect it to go higher. (Don't forget to check out J'Ason's always excellent chart analysis). However, the guys have always charted around this position with their singles with the exception of Sewn, which went higher. I think perhaps people are waiting for the album to come out as it follows on so quickly from the physical release. I'll be VERY surprised if they don't debut at number 1 on the album charts this coming Sunday...
3. As i listened to the album on the way to work this morning, I pondered whether it would suffer the same critical malaise that the Scissor Sisters did with Ta-Dah. Most critics and bloggers weren't enamoured of the second album saying it was too similar to the first yet lacked the "spirit" of the first album. I think if those criticisms are levelled at Join With Us it would be unfair. Firstly, the Scissor Sisters made a debut album that was edgy and different to anything out there at the time - they aimed to shock and delight. By comparison, the second album seemed tame and muted, though in my opinion contained some great melodic numbers. The Feeling never claimed to be different or groundbreaking - they just concentrated on putting out songs that were well crafted, lyrically interesting and melodically sound. The public adored it and as is detailed in my review, the second album works with these strengths and develops them.

If "12 Stops & Home" was all about the yearning need for love and alienation felt by society's outsides, then The Feeling's sophomore effort "Join With Us" is a rattifying call to arms for all those individuals out there who have felt a little lost, a little disconnected or a little lonely. It is of course the tour de force of intricate piano work, soaring melodies, the most glorious harmonies this side of Wilson Phillips and Dan's luscious deep vocal stylings that make it easy to want to join the masses and wave your freak flag high. Kicking off with the electro tinged lead single "I Thought It Was Over", the album starts with a tune that positively fizzes with pop goodness. Indeed it's a song that stands up alongside such recent classics as Take That's Shine, Scissor Sisters Laura and their own Fill My Little World as a prime example of excellent pop knowledge and song composition. Opening line "You were there when the wall came down" is the first of occassional political references backing up their love tunes and despite being a rather peculiar metaphor, it works well within the concept of not just the song, but the album and the band. The Feeling are all about expression and the obscure lyrics used to illustrate the point are just part of the band's charm. This continues with the second track Without You, a song about loneliness on the road. On first glance, it's a seemingly Hall & Oates inspired blue eyed tune mired in melancholy and sadness. Marry it up with the fact it was written after the Virginia college shootings and it's an eerie reminder to people that relationships matter because you don't exactly know when something might take them away.

Now, i was a little concerned about Join With Us ending up on the album - it's been a live favourite since the very beginning and is so ingrained in my consciousness as a rowdy live number, I was worried about how it might translate in a studio environment. Happily, it loses none of the energy or appeal of the concert fave and zips along through the earnest (but would be cheesy in anyone elses hands but The Feeling) chorus and the orgasmic climax of "Ring Ring Beep Beep Ahuh". A marvelous moment of pop.

Like it's predecessor, your enjoyment of the album will depend on whether you appreciate the sound the Feeling have so lovingly recreated. If you love it, this is an effortlessly likeable album full of highlights with rarely a dud note. Rumoured second single Turn It Up showcases their ability to be musically adept in composition yet still highlight their Queen-esque ability to be bombastic without being overbearing. Don't Make Me Sad has some delicious harmonising going on and the piano melody tinkling throughout is almost artistic and poetic in form. And just in case people think these are throwaway pop efforts, there is a yearning and underlying complexity to tracks like Loneliness and Connor, both of which tap deeper into the soul of Mr Gillespie Sells in a more rewarding way than any newspaper interview ever could. It's the final track that gives you a taste of what's to come for album three - The Greatest Show On Earth could almost have been titled Everything But The Kitchen Sink so chock full of musical styles and afflections is it. Hammering organs, hazy instrumentation and a crazed sounding front man all make this one of the feeling's more daring efforts and a fitting closer to the album - and any live show.

So clearly, overall I am rather enamoured with the band still and can't wait to see them perform the material live. Join With Them? It's practically a given.

Essential Link: The Feeling website
Essential Link: D'Luv's interview with Dan
Essential Link: My Live Lounge post from last week