Feeder - would you recognise them back then? (Swim: Re-surfaced - Feeder)

Member Name: Midrange

Product:	Swim: Re-surfaced - Feeder
Date:	03/08/08 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Heavy, yet melodic rock. Very catchy choruses.

Disadvantages: Some listeners may dislike the "old" Feeder - not as poppy back in '96!

Feeder have changed their musical stylings somewhat over the years. Currently, I would summarise their style as strong, bold British pop rock. They are the kings of the catchy chorus and have written some fabulously cheesey singalong lyrics in their time (Buck Rogers being a prime example)

It's interesting then to see how they all began. Back in their youth, these guys were clearly more expressive in their angst. "Swim" is full of dark, self depreciating lyrics (the title track has Grant singing "I hate myself..." throughout the chorus). Musically, the band are quite a lot heavier - though I would not go as far to say they were ever a "metal" band. Certainly "Descend" has a heavy, menacing feel to it - an extremely powerful and melodic chorus is contrasted with slightly sinister verses, punctuated with screams of "You lied!" in the pre-chorus section.

I would definitely recommend this album to anyone interested in Feeder. Back in the mid 1990s, Grant could easily hold a tune - indeed, he's more adventurous vocally in this album than any other. The songwriting is, as mentioned before, is slightly darker than their later work. The opening track "Sweet16" is particularly threatening, telling a story of a young girl who shoots what we presume to be her abusive boyfriend.

The Swim EP was originally released without several of the later tracks. The additional tracks are of good quality in my opinion and create a CD that feels more like a complete album than a short but sweet EP.

Summary: A great debut, with bonus tracks to make a solid, complete rock album.