The Feeling

With its smart combination of pop/rock proficiency and brightly layered vocals, Twelve Stops and Home yielded some of England's most omnipresent tunes of 2006. Several years before this debut's release, the Feeling were little more than a ski lodge cover band, serenading Swiss snow boarders with Top 40 hits in exchange for lodging and chump change. Assimilating the tricks of the trade paid off, however, and Home's 12 tracks brim with delightfully appropriated moves: a pumping piano riff from Supertramp ("Fill My Little World"), swells of harmonies à la the Bangles ("Love It When You Call"), a zany chord progression straight out of the Beatles' druggiest days ("Helicopter"). The quintet knows its strengths and caters to them at every turn, letting frontman Dan Gillespie-Sells helm a handful of ballads (his delivery is impeccable, especially on the bittersweet British megahit "Sewn") and showcasing the Feeling's biggest asset: harmony vocals. They stack their voices like a bubblegum version of Queen, mirroring each other's sighs and crescendos, even halting the music altogether for a few measures of polyphonic a cappella. The latter move is especially effective on "Fill My Little World," where a Merseybeat-styled chorus is smartly contrasted by a sobering vocals-only outro. This brand of bold-faced classicist pop is a tricky thing to pull off -- especially in the wake of semi-jokesters the Darkness, who excelled in their craft while simultaneously making a mockery of it -- but the Feeling have the chic (and perhaps the cheek) to do so successfully. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide

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The Rocker

posted on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:21:52

Twelve Stops Program

TWELVE STOPS AND HOME / The Feeling
Universal Island Records 2006

In 2004, the UK brought us the pop sensations of Jackdaw4 and now in 2006 we get THE FEELING. A 5 piece band from outside of London, they bring to the table everything that made the 70's the best musical decade in rock-n-roll history. THE FEELING are, Dan Gillespie Sells on vocals & guitar, Richard Jones on bass and Kevin Jeremiah on guitar too. Add to this some nice keyboards and the steady beats of Paul Stewart on drums. Their CD is called, "Twelve Stops and Home" and it is hard to believe that these guys are in their 20's. Obviously they've done their homework, if making a CD sound as good as any of their influences, then they get an A+. If you're old enough to remember AM radio, then these songs are going to sound familiar, in a good way. If you like the alternative piano soft rock of the past few years, then take notes, because this is how it's supposed to be done. The lyrics are intellectual enough and are carried away by the hooks and melodies.
The CD opens with the fast paced melodic rocker "I Want You Now" and you only have to listen to the harmonies supplied by the backing vocals and you’ll hear the melting of the voices into one hell of a smooth cup of tea. Dan's hypnotic yet soft vocals blend perfectly with the music on the acoustic pieces "Never Be Alone" and "Anyone". Now I'm not sure what the singles will be, but here's 3 songs that definitely should be played somewhere for someone at sometime. "Fill My Little World" is a massive hit in my world, the lyrics roll off the tongue while the pounding piano is complimented by the backing vocals.Check out the the smooth bass intro that leads into the orchestral heartfelt observations of "Kettles On". When you come across the song "Sewn" you're gonna swear you've heard this one before. It's not just these songs, the whole CD is filled with epic arrangements that sound like the Carpenters with male vocals. Don't let that scare you, "Same Old Stuff" rocks like Wings, while "Helicopter" has pounding keyboards and ends with a guitar solo. The surprise was the last track "Blue Piccadilly" that slowly built up and crashed like a Queen song. If listening to THE FEELING is a guilty pleasure then the verdict is in and I shall be forced to go to power pop prison for life, and I'm taking "Twelve Stops And Home" with me. So go out and buy your own copy and enjoy one of lifes guilty pleasures.
-The Rocker

for Dedicated Rocker Productions