Tallulah, the Tenth studio album from Feeder
I’ve found 2019 a bit of a slog when it comes to new music. We’re 7 and a half months into the year and honestly there’ve only been 4 albums that have really stuck with me. That’s not to say there’s not been good music released, there’ve been some pretty decent albums this year that just haven’t stayed with me for more than the week in which they were released (Biffy Clyro’s ‘Balance, Not Symmetry’), and others which are supposedly brilliant that I’ve just not gotten around to yet (Dinosaur Pile-Up’s ‘Celebrity Mansions).
August has thankfully been a little bit of a turning point, seeing the biggest release of 2019 so far, Slipknot’s ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ – an album I am honestly deeply in love with and that I believe could only possibly be toppled by Tool’s ‘Fear Innoculum’ at the end of this month. However, the album I want to divert your attention to today isn’t Slipknot’s latest release; it’s an album that had the unfortunate luck to be released on the same day as it – Feeder’s tenth studio album, ‘Tallulah’.
Now, it’s fair to say there probably isn’t a lot of crossover between the fan bases of Slipknot and Feeder – I won’t argue with that. However, I definitely think Feeder are a band that a lot of Slipknot fans are going to know of – certainly in the UK, where singles like ‘Buck Rogers’ and ‘Just a Day’ were and remain staples on Rock radio and music channels. My overarching feeling about the album ‘Tallulah’ is that, if you’ve ever enjoyed a Feeder album or even just a Feeder song, you’re gonna enjoy this!
The simple truth about ‘Tallulah’ is that it’s Feeder having taken every one of their successes from the past, placed them into a mixing pot and having found themselves in possession of a new album that truly feels like it celebrates everything Feeder have been over their 25-year career. This is Feeder’s most consistent work since 2010’s ‘Renegades’ and their best album since 2012’s ‘Generation Freakshow’ (an album that I have a massive soft spot for).
You could argue that this is an album that doesn’t rock the boat, and to the credit of that argument, it isn’t really. It’s Feeder understanding who they are, knowing who their fans are and creating an album that works on both counts. But that makes it sound cynical because it overlooks the fact that it accomplishes both of these things whilst also being a genuinely great album! There are songs here that I would honestly stack alongside the very best of Feeder’s catalogue – single ‘Youth’ is a radio friendly rager with a massive chorus, and latter album highlight ‘Kyoto’, which is the closest that Feeder will likely ever come to Slipknot sound wise (tongue firmly in cheek for that statement!).
‘Tallulah’ isn’t likely to be at the top of anyone’s album chart when we reach the end of 2019 – but I’ll tell you for certain that it’ll almost definitely be in my Top 10. Above all else, this is 46 minutes of solid Rock music that sees a band halfway through their third decade of existence exuding confidence and embracing who they really are again. If you find yourself at a loss as to what to listen to for an hour in the coming days or weeks, I would heartily recommend this album – you won’t be disappointed!
Review by Matt Dobbie
‘Tallulah’ is available to buy or stream now
