Feed

Feed are obviously a band who aren’t in a hurry. They’ve taken eight years to finally release their debut album but in their defence, singer Adam Perry splits his time between this band and Cave 76. And anyway, it really was worth the wait because they have obviously spent their time well — this is a very good CD. Feed are a hard act to pin down. The most obvious and easiest comparison is with Cracker — they share a similar musical philosophy with a rootsy guitar sound, yet there are even touches of Wilco in there too. The same difficulties arise when trying to describe the vocals — the Cracker comparison is also valid here, but there are touches of Elvis Costello and even Eric Bachmann too. It is almost like a concerted effort to stop people from comparing them to other artists, and it almost works too. Phil Ek (who has also produced Built To Spill, Modest Mouse and Pretty Girls Make Graves) brings a clarity to the proceedings, ensuring that every lyrical barb and jab is very obvious. For every sweet sentiment, there are at least two acerbic moments to ensure that every song is a reflection of the reality of everyday life. Waiting so long before finally releasing their debut has worked to Feed’s advantage because they are at a point in their career where every facet of the band is working well. Now all they have to do is wait to be discovered.