FEEDER

Echo Park [Echo]

Contrary to their current ubiquity, Feeder are not simply another juvenile-rock media sensation. They've been beavering away at the old skool approach of touring their noisy little hearts out for several years. The threesome are now soaring the high notes thanks to the one-way ticket out of toilet gig duty that was 'Buck Rodgers' – a devastating romantic power pop killer punch with playful celebratory lyrics; "We'll get a house in Devon/Drink cider from eleven". Echo Park blazes in a similar ‘blink and you'll miss it’ fashion, too pulverising for tender indie tastes yet a little too lightweight to trash a seat with rest of the nu-metal brigade.

'Seven Days In The Sun' gives Ash a good run for their money in the 'thank Crunchie it’s summer' stakes, complete with big blasts of sunny "yeah-yeahs" and bass lines that rumble along seductively. 'Choke' is pure shouty noise pop, starting life as a Sugaresque charmer before bursting out of its seams in any raucous direction it can. The pacing is let down somewhat by lashing out the ballady torch song 'Piece By Piece' third track in, hence by the last quarter of a lap the previously effective formulae begin to grate the eardrums. Still, it’s thankfully low on stinkers and will no doubt be the choice of the Buckfast, ten spot and stolen snogs brigade for this summer. If it ever bloody comes.

Eamon Sweeney