The Ashtray Girl
10-05-2004, 01:58 PM
Feeder – Comfort in Sound
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Comfort in Sound was the album that catapulted Feeder into the big time, with positive reviews from a variety of sources and the sales to back it up suddenly they were no longer ‘the band that did that car song’. However, one of their original members was not around to see it. Their drummer, Jon Lee, committed suicide in 2002 and Comfort in Sound was recorded as a way for surviving members Grant Nicholas and Taka Hirose to come to terms with their grief. The tragedy of Jon Lee’s death suffuses the whole record, which is their 4th studio album.
Feeder are:
Grant Nicholas – Lead vocals, guitar
Taka Hirose – Bass guitar
Mark Richardson – Drums
Track listing:
Just The Way I’m Feeling
Come Back Around
Helium
Child In You
Comfort in Sound
Forget About Tomorrow
Summer’s Gone
Godzilla
Quick Fade
Find The Colour
Love Pollution
Moonshine
Just The Way I’m Feeling
This is a wonderful indie song, a simple catchy melody, some very nice guitar parts, a little bit of strings in the background and a slightly heavier chorus. A very worthy choice for a singled, this song screams out that Feeder are back and they mean business. Despite the overall sunny nature of the song, the lyrics portray a slightly darker image that sets the tone for the rest of the album. 4.5/5
Come Back Around
This is of a similar feel, although just a bit more electric guitar gives it some edge. Once again, the lyrics deal with overcoming unhappiness and are quite backward-looking. Skilfully written melodies once again come into play, but it hasn’t quite got the spark of the opening track. Nonetheless it’s a good song, and once again was a good single choice. 4/5
Helium
Despite the overall melancholy feel of this album, Feeder have not wholly abandoned their rockier side, as this track shows. With fuzz guitars and distorted vocals this is a different side of Feeder. However, as they try to appeal to a slightly different fan base they lose some of the majesty and simplicity of their mellower songs, making this one of the slightly weaker tracks on the record. 3/5
Child In You
This is possibly the most chilled out song on here. Pretty guitar picking and very toned down vocals make for a welcome return to a more heartfelt mood. This song is about comforting someone by reminding them of simpler times, and the lyrics match the melodies perfectly. However, in slowing down so much the band have also got ever so slightly repetitive and this is not one of their more interesting songs. It’s still a good song and one well worth listening to though. 4/5
Comfort In Sound
Hurray – a more upbeat song! A catchy yet very simple guitar riff lifts the tone and sets the scene for one of the best songs here. The lyrics haven’t cheered up, but the words of the chorus will appeal to any music lover – ‘comfort in sound, it’s all around’. An ode to the relief music can bring to the pain of life situations with an optimistic tone, this is a completely appropriate title track and one that you are likely to listen to many times. The simple bridge consisting of merely Nicholas singing ‘yeah’ is great to sing along to as well. 4.5/5
Forget About Tomorrow
This was the song that convinced me to buy the album. This is the signature song, the one that really sounds like a lot of time and effort has been put into it. Reminiscent of other British indie heroes like The Verve and Coldplay this is Feeder pulling all the stops out. Soaring violins and slightly obscure lyrics try desperately to stir the emotions and show off Nicholas’s voice. For a while, it succeeds, but after many repeated listens the magic does wear off slightly as it begins to sound like they almost tried too hard. 4.3/5
Summer’s Gone
I’d put this down as being the saddest song in an album full of sad songs. The vocals are so desolate, with the melody heading downwards at the end of every line. Yearning guitars and heartbroken lyrics add to the effect, which is then completed by a soaring, emotional chorus that will catch you slightly unawares with the amount it is capable of moving you. ‘The summer’s gone, the colour’s gone, the love has gone’ – if you listen to this too many times in quick succession it’ll feel like midwinter whatever the season. Just to add to the beauty of the song, there’s a reminiscent, heartrending bridge that will get you if none of the rest of the song has. 5/5
Godzilla
In order to break up the mood, the band inserted a much heavier track here. Once again though, Feeder’s attempt to be hard rockers really don’t work too well. It’s a good song to listen to in the right context, but meaningful lyrics and good melodies have been sacrificed for driving beat and pounding guitars. 3/5
Quick Fade
A little too much bendy guitar here, but this is an improvement on the previous track. It’s a well written song, but by this point in the record the band really needed to do something a little different to hold the listener’s attention, which they have not achieved in this song. It’s a good chorus with good lyrics, but the verses let the song down slightly. 3.5/5
Find The Colour
And it’s another happy song! This is the song that’ll have you tapping your foot and maybe even dancing around a little bit if you’re anything like me. Even more excitingly, there are actually some happy lyrics here – ‘every second that passes me by, in a blink of an eye it just feels so damn good. This is the something slightly different that was needed, it strikes a balance between songs like Helium and Godzilla and the melancholy of Child In You. 4.5/5
Love Pollution
Feeder bring it right back down again here with a slow acoustic rhythm guitar and some high guitar riffing accompanying Nicholas singing about broken love. Yet again, they manage to pull out a strong chorus, and I really like the lyrics of this one, but if you’re listening to the album all the way through this track is unlikely to grab you. If it came earlier on it would probably sound better, but it really is more of the same. 4/5
Moonshine
This is a somewhat epic album closer, going on for nearly 7 minutes. Fortunately, Feeder have really made something of the extra time they’ve allotted themselves and make this one of the standout tracks. Once again, a pretty guitar riff and a really melodic verse draw you in from the outset. Finally, the band have caught on to the concept of mixing their heavy and light sounds, making the chorus a relatively heavy one but then calming it down for the verses, which works brilliantly. I think this is the best chorus on here, despite having already listened to 11 tracks it sounds new and fresh, plus being infinitely catchy and deeply simple. As they take the song on for longer you really get drawn into the song writing, which is outstanding here. In my opinion, this is the best track on the album and a great closer 5/5
Summary: A master class in acoustic song writing but the band’s attempts at heavier sounds let them down a little bit.
Overall Rating: 4/5
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drf800/f873/f87311lpzf2.jpg
Comfort in Sound was the album that catapulted Feeder into the big time, with positive reviews from a variety of sources and the sales to back it up suddenly they were no longer ‘the band that did that car song’. However, one of their original members was not around to see it. Their drummer, Jon Lee, committed suicide in 2002 and Comfort in Sound was recorded as a way for surviving members Grant Nicholas and Taka Hirose to come to terms with their grief. The tragedy of Jon Lee’s death suffuses the whole record, which is their 4th studio album.
Feeder are:
Grant Nicholas – Lead vocals, guitar
Taka Hirose – Bass guitar
Mark Richardson – Drums
Track listing:
Just The Way I’m Feeling
Come Back Around
Helium
Child In You
Comfort in Sound
Forget About Tomorrow
Summer’s Gone
Godzilla
Quick Fade
Find The Colour
Love Pollution
Moonshine
Just The Way I’m Feeling
This is a wonderful indie song, a simple catchy melody, some very nice guitar parts, a little bit of strings in the background and a slightly heavier chorus. A very worthy choice for a singled, this song screams out that Feeder are back and they mean business. Despite the overall sunny nature of the song, the lyrics portray a slightly darker image that sets the tone for the rest of the album. 4.5/5
Come Back Around
This is of a similar feel, although just a bit more electric guitar gives it some edge. Once again, the lyrics deal with overcoming unhappiness and are quite backward-looking. Skilfully written melodies once again come into play, but it hasn’t quite got the spark of the opening track. Nonetheless it’s a good song, and once again was a good single choice. 4/5
Helium
Despite the overall melancholy feel of this album, Feeder have not wholly abandoned their rockier side, as this track shows. With fuzz guitars and distorted vocals this is a different side of Feeder. However, as they try to appeal to a slightly different fan base they lose some of the majesty and simplicity of their mellower songs, making this one of the slightly weaker tracks on the record. 3/5
Child In You
This is possibly the most chilled out song on here. Pretty guitar picking and very toned down vocals make for a welcome return to a more heartfelt mood. This song is about comforting someone by reminding them of simpler times, and the lyrics match the melodies perfectly. However, in slowing down so much the band have also got ever so slightly repetitive and this is not one of their more interesting songs. It’s still a good song and one well worth listening to though. 4/5
Comfort In Sound
Hurray – a more upbeat song! A catchy yet very simple guitar riff lifts the tone and sets the scene for one of the best songs here. The lyrics haven’t cheered up, but the words of the chorus will appeal to any music lover – ‘comfort in sound, it’s all around’. An ode to the relief music can bring to the pain of life situations with an optimistic tone, this is a completely appropriate title track and one that you are likely to listen to many times. The simple bridge consisting of merely Nicholas singing ‘yeah’ is great to sing along to as well. 4.5/5
Forget About Tomorrow
This was the song that convinced me to buy the album. This is the signature song, the one that really sounds like a lot of time and effort has been put into it. Reminiscent of other British indie heroes like The Verve and Coldplay this is Feeder pulling all the stops out. Soaring violins and slightly obscure lyrics try desperately to stir the emotions and show off Nicholas’s voice. For a while, it succeeds, but after many repeated listens the magic does wear off slightly as it begins to sound like they almost tried too hard. 4.3/5
Summer’s Gone
I’d put this down as being the saddest song in an album full of sad songs. The vocals are so desolate, with the melody heading downwards at the end of every line. Yearning guitars and heartbroken lyrics add to the effect, which is then completed by a soaring, emotional chorus that will catch you slightly unawares with the amount it is capable of moving you. ‘The summer’s gone, the colour’s gone, the love has gone’ – if you listen to this too many times in quick succession it’ll feel like midwinter whatever the season. Just to add to the beauty of the song, there’s a reminiscent, heartrending bridge that will get you if none of the rest of the song has. 5/5
Godzilla
In order to break up the mood, the band inserted a much heavier track here. Once again though, Feeder’s attempt to be hard rockers really don’t work too well. It’s a good song to listen to in the right context, but meaningful lyrics and good melodies have been sacrificed for driving beat and pounding guitars. 3/5
Quick Fade
A little too much bendy guitar here, but this is an improvement on the previous track. It’s a well written song, but by this point in the record the band really needed to do something a little different to hold the listener’s attention, which they have not achieved in this song. It’s a good chorus with good lyrics, but the verses let the song down slightly. 3.5/5
Find The Colour
And it’s another happy song! This is the song that’ll have you tapping your foot and maybe even dancing around a little bit if you’re anything like me. Even more excitingly, there are actually some happy lyrics here – ‘every second that passes me by, in a blink of an eye it just feels so damn good. This is the something slightly different that was needed, it strikes a balance between songs like Helium and Godzilla and the melancholy of Child In You. 4.5/5
Love Pollution
Feeder bring it right back down again here with a slow acoustic rhythm guitar and some high guitar riffing accompanying Nicholas singing about broken love. Yet again, they manage to pull out a strong chorus, and I really like the lyrics of this one, but if you’re listening to the album all the way through this track is unlikely to grab you. If it came earlier on it would probably sound better, but it really is more of the same. 4/5
Moonshine
This is a somewhat epic album closer, going on for nearly 7 minutes. Fortunately, Feeder have really made something of the extra time they’ve allotted themselves and make this one of the standout tracks. Once again, a pretty guitar riff and a really melodic verse draw you in from the outset. Finally, the band have caught on to the concept of mixing their heavy and light sounds, making the chorus a relatively heavy one but then calming it down for the verses, which works brilliantly. I think this is the best chorus on here, despite having already listened to 11 tracks it sounds new and fresh, plus being infinitely catchy and deeply simple. As they take the song on for longer you really get drawn into the song writing, which is outstanding here. In my opinion, this is the best track on the album and a great closer 5/5
Summary: A master class in acoustic song writing but the band’s attempts at heavier sounds let them down a little bit.
Overall Rating: 4/5