Album News: Feeder - Renegades

After toying with the Renegades side-project, Feeder are back under their original moniker, and have chosen to call their new album Renegades instead. They had released an EP as Renegades, but their new full-length will be a Feeder record. The lead single from the album is 'Call Out', which comes out on June 14th, and had previously been a side-project tune. The album itself is due July 5th.

Feeder are due to play the Academy on August 19th.

Tracklist:
1. "White Lines"
2. "Call Out"
3. "Renegades"
4. "Sentimental"
5. "This Town"
6. "Down to the River"
7. "Home"
8. "Barking Dogs"
9. "City in a Rut"
10. "Left Foot Right"
11. "The End"
12. "Godhead"

Watch Feeder/Renegades 'Call Out' live:

Live: Feeder at the Academy

Feeder, one of my favourite bands as a teen (thank you Gran Turismo 1 Soundtrack), are returning to Ireland to play an intimate gig at the Academy. They're currently playing new music live, so expect to hear new songs as well as classic ones this summer.

They'll follow that up with the Academy show on August 19th, with tickets costing €30 on sale this Friday.

Watch Feeder live at Oxegen:

List: Best Albums of the Decade 110-101

I had planned a top 100 albums of the naughties/noughties/00s, but that got a little out of hand, so it's now a 110 albums list. The more the merrier though, right?

110. Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005)

With his second album as Gorillaz, Damon Albarn really stepped out of Blur's shadow. He showed that while Oasis might have won the battle of the 90s, the 00s definitely belonged to Albarn. Gorillaz' second album featured a whole host of guest stars, but none who worked better than Shaun Ryder on the fantastic 'DARE'. And who can forget the opening of 'Feel Good Inc'?

109. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (2004)

Named after the man responsible for beginning World War I, this Scottish band brought the rock of the Strokes to the far side of the Atlantic. The songs themselves had marvellous videos, and the album contained an untold amount of treasures. There's even a hidden backwards message in 'Michael'. Go on, try it.

108. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003)

While The Shins didn't actually change my life (or yours for that matter), their second album improved many. While many prefer the debut, Oh, Inverted World, with the stand-out 'New Slang', Chutes Too Narrow is definitely a more cohesive and consistent album. There's no stand-out songs, because they're all great.

107. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)

Proving that Parachutes wasn't just a fluke, Chris Martin and his band of merry men went back to the studio to make a more polished record, which was bigger and better in every way. It also moved them out of small venues and into arenas, marking them out as the decade's new U2.

106. N*E*R*D - In Search of... (2001)

Pharell Williams is not just a fantastic producer, he is a wonderful musician in his own right. Instead of having everything "featuring the Neptunes" or the like, the debut album from N*E*R*D was a brilliant fusion of pop, rock, hip-hop, and R&B. Their second may have had 'The Way She Moves', but this one had many more great singles: 'Lapdance', 'Provider' and 'Rockstar'. Just don't watch the NSFW 'Lapdance' video at work!

105. Damien Rice - 9 (2006)

It took Damien Rice a long time to record a follow-up to O, and many people thought that it may never happen. When it did, it was somewhat anticlimatic. It was not as good as his debut. But after you got over that initial reaction, and let the album settle, it revealed itself to be a gorgeous album. Lead single '9 Crimes' remains the best thing on the album, and showed the last glimpse of the beautiful Rice-Hannigan interplay.

104. Feeder - Echo Park (2001)

Pop-rock is frowned upon by a lot of my peers, and by a lot of critics. They dismiss it as having no content other than being friendly enough to play on the radio. While Feeder may have been more edgy, and thus more unknown, in their earlier records, what self-respectable artist wouldn't actually want to have a song like 'Buck Rogers' under their belts? The rest of the album was great too, aside from the singles, there was plenty here to savour. Just have a listen to 'tell All Your Friends' if you don't believe me.

103. Nickel Creek - This Side (2002)

All three Nickel Creek albums could definitely have made this list, but the title track on their second proper (adult) album guarantees its place. Produced by legendary bluegrass star Allison Krauss, and containing a magnificent cover of Pavement's 'Spit on a Stranger', This Side was a fantastic album combining instrumental tunes with the beautiful melodies of Chris Thile and the siblings Watkins.

102. Jesse Malin - The Fine Art of Self Destruction (2002)

When I heard Ryan Adams was producing an album for his protege (and fellow musician in the faux-punk band The Finger), my interest was captured. The album itself almost lived up to Adams' own early output, and showcased Malin's excellent gruff New York voice. There may not be a better song this decade than 'Wendy'.

101. The Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers (2005)

Sadly one of the greatest fatalities of the decade was the end of the Silver Jews. (None of the members died, by the way, David Berman just gave up making Silver Jews records.) Tanglewood Numbers was their fifth and penultimate album, and features some of Berman's best ever lyrics. 'Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed' is just as good as the name suggests. Hilariously brilliant

The Countdown continues tomorrow...

Live: Feeder at the Ambassador

More accustomed to playing balls-out outdoor summer rock (see Oxegen: every year since it was Witnness), Feeder will be going indoors for their next Irish appearance. They will be warming up the Ambassador Theatre on Thursday November 20th.

Tickets are on sale this Friday (1st of August - Jesus it's August already) from all the usual spots (tickets.ie, ticketmaster and the like), at a cost of €33.60.

While I'm on the subject, I might as well mention their latest album Silent Cry. I think it's their best since Echo Park. Comfort in Sound was not very consistent, and Pushing the Senses totally missed the mark for me. When I was a teen one of my favourite bands was Feeder. I think this occurred after seeing Grant Nicholas on some TV show (maybe early Never Mind the Buzzcocks), and hearing a clip of early singl 'Sweet 16'. Imagine my delight then when the song appeared in the original Gran Turismo on the Playstation. I played that game more than every other racing game, with the exception of Micro Machines 2 /Turbo '96. Remember those?

Anyhow, Feeder can still make good tunes, so their Ambassador gig may well be worth checking out.

Setlist: Feeder, Oxegen, 12 July 2008

Oxegen mainstays Feeder returned to the O2 Stage for 2008. They play here every year, and put on another exciting performance. This time around they treated their long-term fans (and some new ones) to a cover of Pixies classic 'Monkey Gone to Heaven' before belting out a flawless 'Buck Rogers'.

'Come Back Around'
'Insomnia'
'Miss You'
'Feeling The Moment'
'Pushing The Senses'
'Just The Way I'm Feeling'
'Monkey Gone to Heaven' >
'Buck Rogers'
'High'
'Lost And Found' >
'All My Life'
'Just A Day'