The Feeling - Together We Were Made

Those looking for something dark and daring would be foolish to come to this band, so it's with some surprise that you continue to read slating reviews about them - particularly from the NME, whose criteria for a good album is how shaggable the lead singer is, and who's heard of it. Because the Feeling have never been cool or indie, they've always been on the Scouting For Girls, Hoosiers side of things and whilst I loathe those two bands entirely, there's something endearing and likeable about Dan Gillespie Sells and co. Singles such as 'Fill My Little World' and 'Sewn' have been pretty great pop songs in the past, and 'Rosé' is a favourite if ignoring the subject matter.

However, it's a little surprising that they've endured to a third album, even ignoring the impressive chart positions of the first two (#2 and #1 respectively). Considering their sound has varied little, 'Set My World On Fire' doesn't come as a shock as the first single or opening track. Complete with a singalong chorus, it dances around in circles and for me it's all just a bit wet. It's certainly lovely and inevitably made the BBC Radio 2 audiences happy, but I very much doubt its longevity. Things go a bit mental in 'Dance for the Lights', which features eternally-cool Róisín Murphy with a jerky electronic rhythm and summer-barbecque at G-A-Y atmosphere.


But then the serious strings shtick falls into place on 'Another Soldier' with lyrics such as "another mistake, another heartache, you feel the blood in your veins getting colder". A slightly triphop beat persists underneath all of this which is again a bit of a culture shock for them, but the lyrics just don't make any sense. 'Leave Me Out Of It' features Sells' wife Sophie Ellis-Bextor and is one of the stronger tracks courtesy of its musical-showtune nature (slightly reminiscent of his soundtrack for the BBC2 comedy Beautiful People, which was just amazing) and 'na-na-na!' chorus. Cutesy instrumental inclusions make 'Build a Home' equally difficult-to-hate, but is spent waiting for the real song to actually start.

'Searched Every Corner' sounds a little bit like Owl City remixed by David Guetta (a matter of time, surely) and despite that harrowing prospect, is a pretty uplifting little nugget in a wash of misguided seriousness. A bit of ragtime is indulged in on 'A Hundred Sinners (Come And Get It)', a clear Goodbye Yellow Brick Road derivative with an extra dollop of sugar. 'Mr Grin' activates my OCD sensors with its lack of punctuation, but that's about all it can get out of me; a pretty slick but uneventful honky-tonk-pop offering. A nice piano tune sums up 'Say No' and it's quite faultless. 'Back Where I Came From' however sounds like the concept of Space Oddity done by Kajagoogoo, it's so laden with 80s squelching effects, silly echos and beeps. Guitars burst out of nowhere but if anything just heap on the absurdity.

If you haven't already got a toothache, 'Another Life's intro will surely finish you off. Ignoring that brief moments however, it's a solid and undeniably cute track and one of the best they've done yet. 'Love and Care' is equally difficult to write off entirely, employing its Scissor Sisters vibes with ease (but accidentally treading a little too close to the band's "Land of a Thousand Words" in the process). Final track (including the hidden 'Hardest Stone') 'Undeniable' feels like an obvious attempt at a Queen-style showstopper that is neither convincing nor majestic enough to pull it off. Everything down to the repeat of the album's title feels forced and contrived, it's just bogus. 'Hardest Stone' is an acoustic guitar track. 'Nuff said.


Of course it's difficult for a band who're continually branded as happy-go-lucky one trick ponies to be rebutted every time they attempt something a little bit sinister or depressing, but here the attempts are just embarrassing. There's also a bit of a gap in the number of catchy-enough-to-be-a-single tracks, so all in all it's a bit of a collective step down for the band I'm afraid. That said, there are some cute tracks, some interesting new ground for them, and to totally write it off reeks of pretention.

Rating: 4.5/10
Highlights: Another Life, A Hundred Sinners (Come And Get It), Leave Me Out Of It, Say No, Searched Every Corner
Avoid: Another Soldier, Mr Grin, Back Where I Came From
Artwork Watch: I have nothing interesting to say about this.