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Member since:04.08.2003
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Twelve Stops and Home - The Feeling ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^
Let me tell you a story, perhaps the oldest story in the world. It's a story of love: love desired, love found and, finally, love lost. Ah, we've all been there. But scratch that, I think I'll let some friends of mine tell you the story. Let me introduce you to four nice young lads who call themselves 'The Feeling'. Yeah, it's a stupid name but they're probably students.
These poor lads, and let's call them art students while we're at it, have really put themselves through the mill this time as this tale is rather more complex than the normal boy meets girl scenario. It runs from initial coveting through a very short romance and leads to rejection, pleading, stalking, general sour grapes and finally to some self-delusional acceptance. Again, I think we've all been there.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The Feeling and their tragic tale of love that is 'Twelve Stops and Home'.
Track 1: I Want You Now~ Our story doesn't get of to the most promising of starts. Our friend has found a right fit lass and is determined to make her his. His courting technique leaves a little to be desired, though, and is primarily based around aggressively claiming that everyone needs to go out with someone and that therefore she might as well go out with him: 'I want you now, I don't care how' he blurts out before wimpishly saying 'at least we can say we won't be lonely'. It probably sounded better in his head.
Track 2: Never be Lonely A different tack here as our friend tries to persuade the object of his affection how wonderful it is to be in love. This is more like it; the cute/funny approach usually works better
than shouting at girls although he does play the 'never be lonely' card again which is going to threaten everything. Could be onto a winner here.
Track 3: Fill My Little World The cute/funny approach seems to have worked and some kind of congress has been achieved. It's not clear what form this congress takes but I'm thinking a drunken fumble at some grubby student party. At this delicate stage of a relationship some care is needed, to reassure the girl you're not a nutter and worth seeing again. Unfortunately our intoxicated young friend is getting ahead of himself and has begun exhorting her to love him. Over excited and over eager, I fear this will be setting off 'weirdo' alerts in her mind.
Track 4: Kettle's On Now that we have had this coming together there now appears to be a divergence of opinion regarding the direction this nascent relationship should be taking. Our friend is of the opinion that they are now a couple while the young lady has a somewhat different view. He's sitting at home waiting for her to return from some fancy bar where she's with her fancy mates. Now it's my experience that girls who hang out in fancy bars tend to go out with blokes who hang out in fancy bars and his pleas to her aren't going to cut much ice: "I know you've got a taste for that champagne but come home, the kettle's on."
Track 5: Sewn I'm guessing the tempting offer of a cup of camomile tea hasn't worked so we have now reached the pleading stage. "Give me the song and I'll sing it like I mean it, give me the words and I'll say them like I mean it" he cries more in hope than in expectation. Complete art student wimpery I'm afraid, never going to work and he'll regret it in years to come.
Track 6: Anyone "Where the hell did you get that smile, I haven't seen one of them in a while." Suspecting betrayal he's turning a bit nasty now and is playing the guilt card: "It wasn't you and it wasn't him, it was me who felt like a fool you see." More regrets in years to come, I think, when he looks back on this episode; pleading and aggression doesn't often get the right results. Still, live and learn.
Track 7: Strange A moment of clarity as the acceptance of reality sinks in, not that he's giving up just yet. With a return to the angle of the first track he's back on the persuasion road. Hey, I'm strange; you're strange - let's be strange together. Us against the world, baby. It would probably work better if she wasn't out on the town every night with all her mates.
Track 8: Love it When You Call "I love it when you call, I love it when you call. But you never call at all." And she isn't going to call because she now thinks you're a borderline nutter stalker.
Track 9: Rose The final hammer blow of reality hits and he enters the long dark night of the soul. We can just see him lying in his grubby student digs, staring at his curling posters wondering where it all went wrong. Melancholic to the point of tears, can he ever be happy again? Pull yourself together hippy!
Track 10: Same Old Stuff The light is appearing at the end of the tunnel (or maybe it's a train coming the other way). Finally accepting that she isn't going to come back we're now going through some, quite understandable, self deluding re-rationalisation. Let's face it, it's the only way to deal with rejection; blame the other person and persuade yourself that they're going to suffer more in the long run. This kind of conversation usually works best when conducted internally. (Editorial Note: this is a bloody good track and is probably the best on the album).
Track 11: Helicopter It's all gone a bit fruit loop here as he starts banging on about helicopters. God knows what that's all about; maybe it's some drug reference the kids are using these days. Don't ask me.
Track 12: Blue Piccadilly Peace and love win through, we're over the worst and life can continue. Quite sensibly ignoring his earlier ravings he even goes so far as to proffer an open invitation for her to drop in if she's ever in the neighbourhood. Magnanimous to the end you see. As an interesting side note Blue Piccadilly obviously refers to the Piccadilly Line in London and if you go 12 stops from the city you end up in Arnos Grove which is where I was born, which rounds everything off quite nicely I think.
Bonus Track: There is an added track tacked on about two minutes after Track 12 but as they can't be bothered to give it its own listing I won't bother commenting on it. It's quite good though.
Well they say that one man's pain and abject humiliation is another man's aural pleasure and that was never truer than with this album. The Feeling have produced a collection of great pop songs that is a pleasure to listen to again and again. Let's not beat about the bush here, they're not changing the face of music but every track is a winner. They mix humour with pathos and have a keen eye for lyrics and a catchy hook line. Like most bands these days they mix a variety of styles and influences track by track so we have sugar-rock 70's tracks alongside sub-Hendrix guitars and even some Arctic Monkeys style vocal inflections.
I think it was Trevor and Simon who said 'Blimey, that's good' and that pretty much sums this album up. Have a listen; it'll pass an hour or so.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
With "indie" rapidly becoming a by-word for "whinging", it's refreshing to hear an album ... more
like The Feeling's debut, Twelve Stops and Home. People who come to this album having only heard the catchy-yet-downbeat single "Sewn" might find the jaunty, upbea...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
If youre a fan of Keane?then you really needto get out more. But flippancy apart, at least ... more
that band managed tohighlight a pop middle-ground with cross-generational appeal. Soyour Gran would be as minimally offended as your kid sister. Thispolicy might...
Mar 22nd, 2007
exceptional by (6%):
very helpful by (94%):
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