Twelve Stops And Home - Feeling (The)

...Sussex and London, and Twelve Stops and Home is their debut album.



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The Feeling
(The Album)

This is the band's debut album, and was released on the 6th June 2006 on Island Records.
The album has been titled because Dan grew up in Bounds Green in London, and it's twelve stops between Leicester Square to Bounds ...
...line is shown in blue on all the Tube maps, hence the song title "Blue Picadilly", which includes the lyrics of the albums' title.

For a debut album, it has done remarkably well in a very short space of time, and the band are touring all over the world, bring the live versions of their songs to the masses. They hit Newcastle in November, but initial inquiries suggest that they're sold out here, so I'm just going to have to ... more

*****The Feeling*****

*****Twelve Stops and Home*****

The Album to drift you into all the shades of Autumn

I discovered this album about 2 weeks ago, and tonight I listened to it all the way through and found myself falling in love with it in quite an unexpected way. I'd heard Kettles' On, but never listened to the whole album, and tonight's hearing has got me wishing I'd listened to it sooner. It is, in short, marvellous.

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The Feeling
(The Band)

The Band are:

Dan Gillespie Sells - vocals & guitar
Richard Jones - bass
Kevin Jeremiah - guitar
Ciaran Jeremiah - keyboards
Paul Stewart - drums

I've seen their pictures on the website, and most of them are really quite cute (shhhh!), Dan, the lead singer has a voice the covers quite a wide range, from higher notes to deeper woody tones, and some of the harmonies they orchestrate are just pure "new" pop genius. Some of their stuff makes me think of Fleetwood Mac, and they have a heady, happy combination of fast and funky with some slower stuff with guitars and piano, and a bit of psycadelic rock thrown in for good measure
All of the band are around about mid twenties and they're from Sussex and London, and Twelve Stops and Home is their debut album.

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The Feeling
(The Album)

This is the band's debut album, and was released on the 6th June 2006 on Island Records.
The album has been titled because Dan grew up in Bounds Green in London, and it's twelve stops between Leicester Square to Bounds green on the Picadilly Line of the Tube. The picadilly line is shown in blue on all the Tube maps, hence the song title "Blue Picadilly", which includes the lyrics of the albums' title.

For a debut album, it has done remarkably well in a very short space of time, and the band are touring all over the world, bring the live versions of their songs to the masses. They hit Newcastle in November, but initial inquiries suggest that they're sold out here, so I'm just going to have to cry myself to sleep for a few nights to get over it. (I'm not joking, I'm truly gutted!!)
They have had a serious amount of positive feedback and even The Observer has done a review of them, which is great news!

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The Feeling
(The Songs)

I Want You Now (3:47)

Oh this is so rock chick, so deep, so fast, so bass guitar, so drum kit! It has those high woohoo-hoos and deep, deep vocal qualities. It's one of the fastest songs on the album, but has slower harmonised intersections that I just love. It's not that long, but in my opinion is just the right length, and it's proper dance around the kitchen stuff that has a fun element - it will have you humming away all day this one! Just make sure you don't put it on repeat straight away or you'll miss out on all the other great tracks on the album!

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Never Be Lonely (3:31)

This is one of the songs that really makes me think of Fleetwood Mac, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the guitars - they are the instrument that kind of dictates the flow and structure of this song, and it has chorus/verse changes like the Mac. See what you think and let me know! Ooh and they say "bloody well" in this, which is so cool.
"People in love get everything wrong" Oh how true! But sometimes people in love get everything wrong so that they can learn to get everything right?
"BBBbaby…I think I'm going CCCcrazy - how should I be sane without you?"
The lyrics on this album are really just great - love 'em!

Favourite bit of the song is the bit at the end where it's all harmonies - you might have already guessed I'm a big fan of harmonies. They take a lot more work that just singing normal, like! The very end is voice and no instruments and it's just perfect.

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Fill My Little World (4:07)

I think this is one of their songs which has been played a lot on the radio, and is quite fast and funky. It's a cool combination of pop and rock and an almost folkie feel - a bit like the JCB Song but faster and funkier. I have to admit to not having listened to any of Nizlopi's other stuff, but thing it would probably be in a similar vein to this.
Again this has an Acapulco sections at the end that fades out to complete the song and I don't know if it's just Dan or if the other band members contribute but blimey moses it's great!

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Kettle's On (4:07)

This was the first song I ever heard form this band and I love it to bits. It's so simple, and so real. I love it when you can listen to a song and thing, blimey, that's so true, that's us that is. He wants her to come home to him, he's got the kettle on. It's not a sentiment that men would usually admit to - but its so nice to hear a man singing about how much he misses his girl - it is so real and I think that's important in song writing these days. We want to know that it's really how they feel, that real-life intervenes and affects them and influences their writing. Well, I do anyway!!

This is a song that starts with heavy bass guitars and harmonised vocals that reach down into the depths of your soul quite unexpectedly.
"when I think about your sweet face I can't wait for you to come home. I can see you've got a real taste for that champagne but it's all gone so come home, the kettle's on".
There are pianos, the hint of a drum kit, and just amazing combinations of vocal and instrumental harmonies and the ending is great. Love it!

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Sewn (5:55)

This starts so soft and quiet, with guitars, and such heartfelt lyrics "you stop the blood and make my head soft, and god knows you got me sewn" It's a great song that builds up as it goes on - it's the second longest track on the album, but it's one of my favourites. Again, the harmonies are great, and at some points very reminiscent of Clannad harmonies (tres famous Irish band that spawned Enya and Maire Brennan) - listen hard and you'll hear it. It's very strange, but works so well that it's only when you really listen to it that you can pick it out. It has a great build up, touches of rock, piano and voice and guitar building to a crescendo and it's just perfect!

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Anyone (4:10)

Again, very Fleetwood Mac, all twingy-twangy guitars (yes, I made that word up) - slow to start, with bass and drums kicking in for the chorus in a very rock pop jump-about and smile kind of way. The verses kick back to the funky slower guitaryness and then build up again, and I like this song because you don't have to listen that hard to make out the lyrics. There's even a guitar part if you listen hard that has Bluegrass overtones. Pure genius! It's a song that has great harmonies, is very lyrical and will have you tapping your feet for sure.

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Strange (4:21)

Slow, beautifully pitched with piano accompnianment, and then guitars. A gorgeous, sumptuous look at people and life and how we all feel about it.
"It you feel it and you mean it don't apologise"
"They only put you down if you give them permission"
Looking at people's differences but upholding and revering them and encouraging the listener to remember that it's their differences that set them apart from everyone else, that we should be proud of who we are, and not worry about what other people think. It's a great uplifting song that really makes you think, and again, the instrumental backdrop doesn't detract from the vocal content, and you can really hear every word without even having to listen too hard. A great message and a beautiful song.

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Love it when you call (3:35)

This one is great, its starts off in a total 80's fashion and is new-pop for sure. It's not one of my favourite songs on the album, but I still like it a lot, and if you are a person of a certain age, it will make you smile in a reminiscing sort of way! Guaranteed! Again, it has hints of Fleetwood Mac, and maybe a little bit of influence from Jump for your Love - an eighties hit by Van Halen. Big choruses and a great soft rock feeling for this one!

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Rose (4:16)

Rose begins very slowly and quietly, sad and soft, with piano and guitar. It has a sad tone like an Irish ballad, maybe something slow from U2, or maybe even Clannad - the harmonies start to fill out the song as it speeds up slightly, and then it drops again to a slow pop - like the pop button on you fake piano you had when you were 6. It links straight into a full on rock section that's unexpected by perfect, and then you're back in the piano, and slow, and sad, with a crescendo the mixes all the elements of the song so far. It sounds so crazy to have so many influences in one song and you'll be thinking as you read this how can that possibly work, but you know what? It does. And it will blow your mind!

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Same Old Stuff (5:10)

This is probably the only song on the album that I can't get away with. Despite having a feel of David Bowie to it - it's a bit repetitive. There's nothing wrong with it, if I'm objective about it, it's just as good as the rest of the album, I just feel that after all the other songs that blend so many different influences into each and every song, this one falls a bit short. Each to their own I suppose - you might love it!

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Helicopter (3:19)

Electric Rock, this is a funny little song that makes me giggle. It starts off so strangely, and then falls into a perfect funky rock song - makes me think a lot of the Scissor Sisters for that funky, retro pop and the presentation, the way certain songs are repeated and sung in almost a different tone of voice. It's almost experimental and has a wicked hard rock section towards the end that will have you head banging in your sitting room!

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Blue Piccadilly (9:56)

Another one that makes me think of David Bowie, but also of Wings, and in particular Paul McCartney in a more millennium type way. It's a slow song, piano and slow drums, and great bridges from low to high tones. Listening to it again there's no doubt in my mind that McCartney is a huge influence at the beginning of the song, moving to a Queen influence later in the song with a harder rock feel, switching back and forth between the two influences as the song progresses.
This is the song that includes the lyrics
"twelve stops and home.."
after which the album has been titled, and it's a song which feels sad but uplifting and makes you feel for sure like there will definitely be more stories from this band, hopefully sooner rather than later.

The end of this track is the sounds of the band packing up and going home, and there's a lovely piano track that I guess is a secret track at the end. It's beautiful, and sad and melancholy, with some gorgeous harmonies that me think "choral" and almost churchy. Strange.

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The Feeling
(How it feels to have it playing loud from little white headphones into my shell-likes)

Well it feels great. If it wasn't rather late, and I didn't have lovely neighbours who possibly like sleeping soundly on a Saturday night, I'd have it on full blast and be dancing, rather that writing!
I've been listening to this all night and you know what? I'll be listening to it tomorrow while I potter round the garden, and I might even be listening to it when I'm doing the ironing.
It's a multi-functional album, if that makes sense. It's uplifting and thought provoking and constantly has you hearing something new in it. It has a pureness to it, and the story of each song carries such truth and perception that you want to shout "Yes! I know what you mean!" Their songs are like conversations, and in the manner of conversations, you think about them after the words have been said and they mean different things to you at different times.

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The Feeling
(Where to buy it and how many pennies it will cost you)

This lovely album is available all over the place - try:

www.amazon.co.uk £8.99 (or from £5.46 new & used)
www.hmv.co.uk £8.99
www.tesco.com £9.97

or for a bargain, try Ebay - www.ebay.co.uk

for more information, to listen to bits of songs and generally catch up with the band and all their news go to:

http://www.thefeeling.com

or catch them on www.myspace.com

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The Feeling
(My Feelings about The Feeling)

I like listening to new artists, I find that they are often bolder and more real in their music that old timers. Not always the case, I know, but that first album always has a rawness and a finely honed perfection to it, where you can really taste the passion and drive that has got the artist where they are with a record deal and a lovely CD to pop on their shelf. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to carry off this raw genius again in a second album, but I get the feeling it's going to be a long time before I'm bored of this album, so they've got ages and ages to come up with new material as far as I'm concerned! I'm certainly a fan now and will be eagerly watching this space for any new offerings. If you don't have this album yet, go buy it. It's only a tenner, and it will give you a reason to jump about your living room like the scary individual that you are. As the boys say, we're all a bit strange, but let's all smile about it, applaud it, and let it give us a reason to dance!
My feelings? Well, incase you haven't realised already I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!!

:o)
Thanks so much for reading, happy dancing! Kate x
 

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