Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the wait!, 26 Feb 2005
Say what you like about Feeder. I have seen many a journalistic angle criticising the band of recording uninspiring songs, suggesting that "Pushing the Senses" is simply jumping on the Keane, Coldplay, Athlete et al bandwagon. I beg to differ. "Pushing the Senses" is clearly evolved from the magnificent Comfort in Sound, with some tracks very reminiscent of Just the Way I'm Feeling, Love Pollution and the likes.
Whilst "Pushing the Senses" is a far cry from their far rockier/poppier days of Polythene and Echo Park it is superb in its own rights. The opening track "Feeling the Moment" is an uplifting start to the album and an excellent, if slightly surprising choice for next single- I predicted "Pushing the Senses" an equally brilliant track and one of the more rockier on the album (the terrific "Bitter Glass", very possibly inspired by Jon Lee's suicide, being the other), with all the wonderful texture that Feeder fans have come to expect from the band. Songs like these prove that, whilst having toned down their act following Jon Lee's tragic death, they are still perfectly capable of rocking. In fact, it is my opinion that tracks such as these are in fact progress from examples like "Polythene Girl", as the clear improvements in Grant's voice make for admirable soft vocals.
"Pushing the Senses" is a fairly short album in comparison to its predecessors, a decision justified by the band in the accompanying DVD, commenting that 40 minutes is an ideal length for an album. I have to agree. The album opens excellently and the first five tracks are instantly catchy with the contrast of "Bitter Glass" and the single "Tumble and Fall", followed by the highlight of the album, "Tender"- a prime example of the type of multi layered stirring song that has become synonymous with Feeder. The second half of the album continues in the same way with a balance of new era Feeder ("Frequency" and "Morning Life") with the more energetic "Pilgrim Soul". Overall the album is consistently stunning and flows excellently, with a balance of melodic tracks with those such as "Bitter Glass". My only criticism would be the absence of the strong "Victoria", a song featured on the DVD, which struck such a cord, I don't feel it would have damaged the flow of the album.
Albums with accompanying DVDs are becoming something of a trend, one I can't exactly say I mind! The making of "Tumble and Fall" is, like the album itself, a good length and a friendly insight to the band but the clear stars of the DVD are the Depot Sessions, filmed so beautifully they more than do justice to the tracks. They provide an alternative and thoroughly enjoyable way of listening to the album and demonstrate the sophistication and maturity Feeder have adopted.
There is no doubt that "Pushing the Senses" is not going to produce an anthem like Buck Rogers, but, and take it from someone who fell in love with Feeder shortly after the release of "Comfort in Sound" and has been waiting for this album ever since, it does not disappoint. Suberb!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewing the Senses, 3 Feb 2005
After the commercial and critical success of Comfort in Sound it is great to see Feeder return with an album that builds on the music of CiS and in some ways beats it. THe album gets off to a great start- Feeling a Moment, a euphoric opener that could be a huge hit for the band. Following is the powerful and Coldplay-like Bitter Glass, and then top 5 single Tumble and Fall. Track 4 Tender is definately a grower and blossoms into a beautiful ballad similar to Echo Park's Turn. And then comes the superb Pushing the Senses, a classic pulsating Feeder track- combining the pop rock of Echo Park with the more refined production and lyrics of CiS. And then comes another standout track, the beautiful Frequency, with its superb vocals from Grant. Morning Life follows, another grower, with some great technical effects adding to the song. Following is Pilgrim Soul- the closest track on the album to Polythene, and it is fantastic. Pain on Pain is another piano led beautiful track, and the calm and relaxing Dove Grey Sands is a good closing track. Overall a fantastic album, possibly Feeder's best. Whether it will replace my favourite, Comfort in Sound, will be seen over time. At fourty minutes it is a short album that leaves you wanting more, although one feels a couple more tracks should be added, maybe rockier tracks akin to Pushing the Senses to keep the older fans happy. It is the variety of musical styles that make this album, shown by the reviews I have seen in magazines each picking different standout tracks. Wonderful.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You hear what you want to hear, 20 Jan 2005
Why do people become so concerned with bands changing? If they produce the same kind of material on every album they make, they get accused of being unoriginal, stale and samey. If they change their sound from album to album then they get lambasted for that too, is there a situation where the band can come up trumps? This album is incredibly strong, all the songs are good bar none, it gels very well as a record and is easy to listen to all the way through without skipping any tracks. Sure it's more melancholic than their previous work but it shows that they have more strings to their bow. Im a big fan of Polythene but that doesnt mean I can't appreciate this effort, as different as it is. Theres no need to bash this album as being too mellow for a Feeder record because this is something they obviously felt they had to do and unlike many of their contemporaries they pull it off spectacularly, with all the emotion feeling very, very real. I wonder, if people had heard this record with no previous knowledge of Feeder's work, would they like it more?
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See Grant from Feeder's
favourite albums in his
Amazon.co.uk guest edit.
![Pushing The Senses [Limited Edition] [CD + DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61HSEM0PMPL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
