The Feeling – Join With Us (Universal/Island)
February 18th, 2008
5.0/6.0
I’ve had a bit of a soft spot for The Feeling for a while. I think it stems from a stint that lead singer Dan Gillespie Sells did on a Never Mind the Buzzcocks Christmas special. Anyone that can playfully deflect that pesky tyrant Simon Amstell’s ribbing gets an A+ in my book. Also the single Never Be Lonely is rather high on my mp3 player’s playlist, solely due to its ability to make me feel just jolly lovely.
With that in mind, The Feeling’s second album is another dose of jolly loveliness. From start to finish it delivers ridiculously catchy, feel-good fantabulousness. It’s unashamedly pop, and I think it has dollops of influence from artists like ELO, Queen and perhaps McFly.
The whole album possesses what I have dubbed the High School Musical Effect. Catchy pop that the music snob in you wants to quash – but in reality you just want to learn the dance moves in your bedroom. The first single I Thought It Was Over is super. It makes me feel like a giddy kid, and is the kind of song that would make me feel incredibly chipper whatever the day.
Join With Us is a positive anthem which develops into an infectious whirl. I can imagine its catchy refrain brainwashing thousands. In fact, if The Feeling wanted their own cult they could probably mastermind it. That song has the line “# It’s better that you come from nothing than nothing comes from you #” which affirms the album’s upbeat and positive theme. This positivity becomes slightly saccharine on I Did It For Everyone (lyrics about the world singing in harmony… hmmm), but you cannot help but get swept up with their bouncy pop enthusiasm.
A couple of the songs veer from pop into boyband land, but without really damaging the album as a whole. In fact I think Loneliness has a little of the Backstreet Boys about it, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The rhymes are simple, the lyrics repetitive and the melodies familiar yet this just makes for a highly infectious, fun album. The music is slightly formulaic (you can predict the ooohs and aahhs) but I can’t think of anything better to perk up a dull, drizzly Mancunian morning.
words: Catherine Bolsover
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