ALBUM: Feeder - Silent Cry

Let's be honest here, ever since their landmark album Echo Park, Feeder have become more and more of a guilty pleasure. It's not that they are particularly bad - not at all - their brand of post-grunge anthemic arena-pop-rock remains as infectious as ever, it just that they have never really broken a huge amount of new ground in front of their competitors, but then again, no one ever asked them too.

If nothing else, this album demonstrates how Feeder are the strawberry jam of the British music world. It can pretty much be put on anything within reason, be it on toast, porridge or the line-up of Download Festival. Some may prefer blueberry jam or marmite, but no one can really say they don't like strawberry jam. Strawberry Jam is also simple, sweet and one third japanese.

But before I over-stretch an already straining metaphor, Feeder's latest album, and their first full album of new material since their Singles album and re-issued B-Sides compilation Picture Of Perfect Youth, has all the hallmarks of what has come before. The anthemic lyrics, the less-than-subtle loud-chorus, quiet-verse formula that they have used in almost every song, and the general feeling that these tracks were made to be blasted out into an arena-sized auditorium full of teenagers.

Opening track "We Are People" starts out like Weezer before Nichols and a frankly epically-proportioned drumbeat drive the track on. "Itsumo" follows a similar formula, but with an intro more in tune to Coldplay's "Fix You". "Fires" is unashamed pop with its ballady yet driving intro and verse, countered with the somewhat inevitable guitar crescendoes for the chorus. "Heads Held High" is an acoustic number that would not have been out of place on Pushing The Senses.

For a while in the development of this album, there was rumoured to be a return to the old Feeder sound that many fans had been asking for, and this is present in a couple of cases, but the tongue-in-cheek joviality of Feeder's early albums Swim and Polythene is gone in favour of the "emotionally availiable" sound of their most recent albums. At the time of their last album, the band were roundly criticised for apparently being influenced by both the fashionable misery-mongers of early 00s bands such as Coldplay and Travis, as well as trying to satisfy the softer end of the emo-market.

However, throughout Silent Cry, it is difficult not to notice how much of a mark that the somewhat softer Pushing The Senses has made, and while it's unlikely for Feeder to be placed in the same sentence as pop-emoers 30 Seconds to Mars, it would not be a massive leap of imagination to link the two, insulting as that is to Feeder.

Rather ironically, even though the album resembles the poppier edge of their countrymen Lostprophets, it contains fewer hooks than any of their previous singles, despite what greatest hits single "Lost & Found" appeared to be alluding to, instead favouring power over precision, blasting every song to within the very inch of their lives. Basically - it all sounds a bit samey, but still good enough to put on your toast.

6/10

Silent Cry is out now in the UK on Echo records.

Reading/Leeds Festival Line-up reaction (MAIN STAGE SATURDAY/SUNDAY)

Friday's line-up
Part 2:
SATURDAY READING/SUNDAY LEEDS
THE KILLERS
Since their, from my point of view, unspectacular headlining set at Glastonbury last year, it was almost inevitable that they would eventually headline Reading and Leeds. It would seem they've joined the exclusive set occupied by, among others Muse, Foo Fighters and The White Stripes that means they'll all headline a major UK Festival at some point through the years. Barring no one awesome on the Radio 1 Introducing... stage, I'll probably be at the Manics.

BLOC PARTY
Moving exactly one spot closer to that elusive headlining slot on the same day as last year despite only releasing their now traditional trans-album single "Flux" since then. Even though it's probably better than most of A Weekend In The City, the crowd will be massive. I may be elsewhere.

THE RACONTEURS
Two years and one album ago, the Detroit supergroup headlined the NME stage when Muse were on which must be the largest Indiephile clash since Peter Doherty and Carl Barat turned up to the pub wearing the same outfit. I've been a bit slow on getting the new album, but the the material from Broken Boy Soldiers should be good enough for me.
Can't Wait To Hear: Store Bought Bones. Again

EDITORS
"Hey, we couldn't do as good an impression of Joy Division as Interpol, so do you mind if we play some Snow Patrol B-sides?"

WE ARE SCIENTISTS
A welcome return to these guys, now a drummer short, but making their first appearance on the main stage at Reading with a new sound somewhere between traditional British Indie and Duran Duran. While the new album hasn't made such an impression on me yet, their live shows are always great fun and I look forward to seeing them for a fourth (?) time.
Can't Wait To Hear: After Hours

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
Slipping down the line-up to sixth (but still out of the tent and away from all the Babyshambles fans - I know, some people really like them, don't ask me.) but should be playing some new material from their second album This Is Where The Truth Begins, due for release shortly after the festival.

THE SUBWAYS
Playing Reading for the fourth time in five years, the trio from the mean streets of Welwyn Garden City will play tracks from their upcoming album All Or Nothing. Despite the ironic truth of the album title, The Subways do attract a modest following and have a fairly respectable live reputation. I used to be a fan, but I'll probably be elsewhere when they grace the main stage.

READING SUNDAY/LEEDS FRIDAY (THE "METAL" DAY)
MAIN STAGE
METALLICA
They may be so metal it's 6/10 of their name, but I've never really been bothered by much of their stuff except the odd track hear and there. One of those bands I could never see myself making the effort to listen to because A) I'm not hairy enough and B) I don't know enough about computers.

TENACIOUS D
Hey Jack Black, you used to be cool, what happened? Ok, Tenacious aren't that bad and the songs are pretty funny, but should they really be 2nd headliners?

SLIPKNOT
Hey remember when everyone went through that phase of listening to Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory and Slipknot's Iowa while wearing their hoody with the big S on the back? Well those eight guys with the jumpsuits and back with a new album and returning to Reading for the first time in six years, since their apparently blistering performance in 2002.

FEEDER
Some would say this is a strange choice for the "metal day", as I did at first, but they headlined Download a couple of years ago, and are one of the few bands to have relative crossover success as both a Rock and an Indie act. Plus while their last album was "more mature" - code for "a bit boring" - their older albums have a much heavier sound, especially Swim and Polythene, which they occasionally like to dig out for the festival fans. They are Reading veterans, and usually get a big crowd.
Can't Wait To Hear: Lost & Found

AVENGED SEVENFOLD
I don't know a lot about the band some refer to as "A7X", just that those kids who wear their hoodys today tend to be the same sorts who wore the Slipknot hoodies when I was still in school.

DROPKICK MURPHYS
An ever-popular Reading band, these Celtic punks are playing for the first time since 2005, when the entire Arena was filled with the sound of punked-up bagpipes played to within an inch of their lives. Ska music for the bigger lads whose blood type is Jack Daniels.

I should probably stress at this point that this is not necessarily the running order on the day, and that more acts are due to be announced.