This Is Our Time We Cant Rewind Our Place To Shine (Echo Park - Feeder)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Echo Park - Feeder
Date:	13/01/05 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 12 cracking tracks without any filler

Disadvantages: Last album as the original lineup

It was to prove to be the last album with the original line up but for Grant Nicholas and Feeder it would prove to be the one that finally broke them into the main stream. It was just before they recorded the follow up to this album that drummer Jon Lee committed suicide, leaving the legacy of Feeder’s best album behind. That was afterwards though and before hand Feeder were still looking for that elusive album to give them a taste of chart success. Before this album they really had a core fan base and this was the perfect album to build on that and gain a number of new fans, whilst keeping the older fans happy.

They adopted a slightly different style to their previous albums and it seemed to work incredibly well. A few people didn’t like the sound of the new Feeder material, claiming they had sold out but personally I loved it as much as the older stuff. As they returned with a much mellower sound, “Buck Rogers” really took the charts by storm and it seemed that the goal Feeder were striving for seemed to be accomplished. The follow up singles were just as good and in April 2001, they released Echo Park as their third full length album, at the same time as the re-release of Swim.

I think this was really the make or break album for the band and if things had back fired it would have been the end of Feeder. The results were pleasing and won the band a much larger fan base with the new sound and from there Grant seems to have excelled himself. He has created a more soulful, relaxed feel to the album and that adds a new dimension to the band's music. The rock riffs are still mixed in along with a slower pace that actually enhances the band's overall sound.

A lot of the album is in a similar vein to “Buck Rogers”, the guitars play the main part of each track with the drums keeping a good backing beat and tempo. It’s a simple formula and one that Feeder seems to have worked to their advantage with this album. The guitars really stand out on each track with both the lead and bass guitars really holding your attention. The drums compliment both well and it’s that combination and the skill of Grant’s writing that really makes the album shine.

His vocals also seem to play a big part in the overall sound of each track. It’s something I’ve always felt with Grant; he seems to be able to adapt his vocals to any type of song. With his ability and the sheer brilliance of his song writing it gives Feeder a real chance for success and this album delivers everything that the early singles promised and more. The first couple of albums were great but there is something a little more widely appealing about this album, which still stays true to Feeder’s original goals and direction.

The album is obviously made famous by the singles such as “Buck Rogers” and “Seven Days In The Sun”, but actually boast a couple of tracks that are even better. If you loved either of those singles it’s an album that’s certainly worth buying. A personnel favourite of mine is still “We Can’t Rewind”, a track I’ve loved since I first heard the album. The whole idea of the song mixed with a fast pace and superb guitar riffs. It’s a nice relaxed song that really gets into your head, like a lot of other tracks on the album. There are a couple of tracks, like “Bug” for instance, that take a bit of time to grow on you but overall it’s an excellent album that really does the band justice.

It’s the album that really brought Feeder into the public eye and with the imminent release of their 5th studio album at the end of this month there is no better time to discover this one. The death of Jon Lee shocked a lot of Feeder fans but they have found a suitable replacement in former Skunk Anansie drummer Mark Richardson. This is certainly Feeder’s best to date and an album I recommend everyone owns at least one copy of.

Available from Play.com for £6.99

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