Feeder – “All Bright Electric” [Album Review]

Feeder are a band I’ve been a fan of since day one, and one which always brings me back to my youth, before the days I could sit in a nice warm pub with a pint instead of being in a park drinking warm bottles of white lightning and listening to bands the likes of Feeder on a shitty cassette Walkman through even shitter speakers whilst going out for a while to get high with my friends (oh yes, I went there!). Over the years, Feeder have gone full circle from their debut album Polythene through to chart topping success with Echo Park, and back again, all without losing their identity.

All Bright Electric has been four years in the making and, in my opinion, has been worth the wait! Whilst its predecessor wasn’t bad, it came and went without much of an impact. All Bright Electric returns the group to a simpler time whilst still being able to sound fresh. Opening strongly with “Universe of Life” it is instantly recognisable as a Feeder tune but, when track two “Eskimo” kicks in, any long-time fan of the band will be taken back to the early days with the heavy/soft, slow/fast guitar riffs and vocals of Grant Nichols.

Track three, “Geezer”, opens with a very much Kasabian vibe, and although this could be said to be a winning approach to any song, “Geezer” sadly, in my opinion, fails to deliver what could have been a highlight of the album. Fortunately I am happy to report that this is the only instance when the guys falter. As the album continues, Feeder deliver one of their greatest strengths, the slow, emotionally-charged masterpieces like “Infrared-Ultraviolet” and “Oh Mary” which are reminiscent of tunes like “High”, “Picture of Perfect Youth” and “Radioman”. All Bright Electric continues through to it’s conclusion “Eyes to the Sky” with a similar mix as what has come before, well-written and enjoyable songs with the album’s strongest one, “Slint”, set to be a real crowd pleaser at any live show.

In conclusion, whilst not fully returning the band to the good old days of the nineties, nor their high point of the early noughties, All Bright Electric is still a great album that fans of old will be more then satisfied with.

All Bright Electric Track Listing:

01. Universe of Life
02. Eskimo
03. Geezer
04. Paperweight
05. Infrared-Ultraviolet
06. Oh Mary
07. The Impossible
08. Divide the Minority
09. Angels and Lullaby’s
10. Holy Water
11. Hundred Liars
12. Another Day on Earth
13. Slint
14. Eyes in the Sky

Run Time: 52:23
Release Date: October 7, 2016

Check out the track “Eskimo”