FEEDER REVIEWS

YESTERDAY WENT TOO SOON

It may only have been Feeder’s second full-length album but ‘Yesterday Went Too Soon’ is a modern classic. A towering monument to the multifaceted art of rock songwriting, Grant Nicholas’ gilded compositions slip from thrillingly insistent rock to experimental pop and string-laden ballads without once suffering a dip in quality. Magnificent.
- Kerrang!

It's a long way to the top if you choose to rock, but Feeder's second Elektra-released effort, Yesterday Went Too Soon, bounds its way up the alterna-pop ladder. This British trio writes unabashedly accessible songs, characterized by expertly written hooks and melodies. But once these fine young chaps plug into their amps, they furiously pelt their decidedly catchy tunes with a batten-down-the-hatches hailstorm of riffs and rhythms. With each absolutely slamming song, Feeder surmounts another rung, pushed upward by noteworthy producer Andy Wallace's big-rock sound. These blokes churn out good-time rock that will force even the staunchest American patriot to furiously wave a Union Jack.
- Amy Sciarretto (CMJ.com)

An album which is impossible and unfair to name the best songs from. It starts off with the slow/fast, heavy Anaesthetic and Insomnia then you can chill out for a bit with Picture Of Perfect Youth and the title track. Its back to the beginning with Waiting For Changes then the brilliant plodding along of Radioman which really makes you think from the point of view of the homeless (The people laugh, but they don’t stay. They try to hide their guilt away with a smile that says that its okay.... Tune in you might hear him.... Somebody, somebody hear me) , followed by the start-stop quirkiness of Day In Day Out. Even Tinsel Town, which I didn't like with my first few listens (I found it boring) has became an excellent song. You're My Evergreen lifts you back up, followed by the emotion of Dry. Next comes the 'should have been a single' (although you could say that for any track off this album) upbeat, sing-along chorus of Hole In My Head. Then there's another great track, So Well, followed by the magical Paperfaces, and there's even a bonus track at the end, Bubblehead.
So, a great variety, a sing-along chorus in every song, lyrics that mean something and songs like Hole In My Head, Insomnia and You're My Evergreen which never fail to cheer me up. One of the best albums you could own, it might not catch you immediately, but it will. 9¹/₂/10, it will be difficult to improve on this.
- my review

Feeder, who are best known for getting us "High", have done a great job of outdoing themselves. Their latest release, Yesterday Went Too Soon, takes your heart and mind on a ride through many lows and highs. The album starts off with the quick, heavy verses of "Anaesthetic". While you are churned about in the verses, you'll be set back down during the chorus. The transitions are smooth and the pure rock is smoother. "Insomnia" is the first single, but doesn't quite give you a feel for what Feeder really has to bring. The chorus is a little weak, but the verse to bridge is very sweet. The beautifully maligned chorus of "Pictures of Perfect Youth" proves Feeder has grown out of the misguided shells of their past. The title track, "Yesterday Went Too Soon", builds and builds into a Radiohead-like elegance I didn't think these guys had in them. And after all of that drama, they bring one the album's best track, "Waiting For Changes". This track is pure distorted bliss; "Radioman" is just as blissful for a million different reasons. In the end, Feeder has such a tide of great tracks that you can't absorb it, even after a dozen or so listens. Just when you think you can relax they hit you with something like the punky "Evergreen", and continue on right to the end when they drop perhaps their most perfect display of magic, "Paperfaces". You continue to wonder what they are up to when you find they even stick a hidden track on the end. It seems they just couldn't stop the creative flow. Feeder is bad. Not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good. - www.hiponline.com

Feeder's 1997 debut album Polythene was a fine, if largely overlooked record. That they follow it up with an even better effort this time round is proof that so-called 'Second album syndrome' is merely a figment of artists' over-active excuse glands (take note Stone Roses, Elastica etc.) So where has this improvement come from? Well, as anyone who took the time to listen to Polythene will tell you, Grant Nicholas is a very talented songwriter, and the simple truth is that, without wishing to take anything away from his previous efforts, the songs on Yesterday Went Too Soon are his best to date by some distance. As well as singles Day In Day Out, Insomnia and Yesterday Went Too Soon, other key moments include Picture of Perfect Youth, Radioman, Dry and the sublime finale Paperfaces. Even to pick out highlights is a little unfair, though, as all tracks contribute to the overall quality of the 'listening experience'.
Two years ago Feeder looked destined to spend their careers as middle ground indie rockers. Yesterday Went Too Soon proves that they are more than ready to step up a level and compete on a level playing field with the best guitar bands around. Its release may not have been surrounded by any hype, but this is one of the best albums of the year so far. - www.channelfly.com

Britrock dark horses turn into an alternative version of The Police on second album. Initially hailed as Britain's answer to Smashing Pumpkins, Welsh trio Feeder's debut Polythene was an overblown affair. Beneath the grandiose gestures and multi-layered guitars, though, there was the suggestion that frontman Grant Nicholas knew his way around a decent tune. Producing Yesterday Went Too Soon himself, Nicholas has stripped away the bluster and served up 13 fine pop songs which are as effective as they are simple. They come in three forms: the snappy (hit single Insomnia, Waiting For Changes, Hole In My Head); the stately (the title track, Paperfaces) and the quirky (Radioman, Tinsel Town). All recall The Police with louder guitars. There will be more heralded British rock albums this year, but few better.
October 1999 4/5 - Paul Rees (Q magazine)

POLYTHENE
North London trio Feeder created ripples last year with their Swim EP; all granite-hard riffs and potentially chart-topping choruses. This full-length debut, with Chris Sheldon (Foo Fighters, Therapy?) producing, backs up that original challenge, suggesting a serious British riposte to America's domination of all things metallic. Ostensibly, though, this is killer pop music, the testosterone levels on Radiation and Cement inflated by Grant Nicholas's scything guitar but kept in check by a snagging chorus and a bassline that owes more to Peter Hook than Geezer Butler. Nevertheless, when the band get confrontational on My Perfect Day and Crash, they display enough firepower to send most of America's mall-rat metal combos scurrying for cover. 4/5 - Mark Blake (Q magazine)

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