Tea And The Feeling Anyone?
By: Farah Minwalla  

It’s both alluring and kind of daunting to harbor the image that mainstream pop might be making a comeback not only in the United States but across the world. As music has transitioned into a recent grey area with most bands copying the lyrical and stylistic structure of legends such as Pink Floyd and ACDC, finding music that separates itself entirely from the boy band curse is a mission impossible. In some ways, the quest for music in its purest form is like rummaging through hay to find the needle that represents an ensemble that has ‘it’. For a very long time, the special ‘it’ factor has somewhat been hidden amongst the Billboard Hot 100, but perhaps this is no longer true. Most certainly I had found my “it” needle in the haystack and VH1 seems to agree with me. Coined as VH1’s You Oughta Know- Artists On The Rise, U.K. band The Feeling has started to gain national acclaim for their syrupy pop ballads and the dapper attitude that would make any school girl blush. The stirring pop channeled by The Feeling is a breath of fresh air when juxtaposed to theatrical emo bands. Even nowadays when it is a deadly sin to label a band as ‘pop’ The Feeling totally embrace their cheesy roots, which make them that more refreshing. Frontman Dan Gillespie told BBC News that, “All we wanted was to write popular songs and be in a band, but at the same time not be crap.” That I don’t give a damn perspective presents The Feeling as an ironic ensemble because their music is so damn sugary that my teeth want to rot. It isn’t that The Feeling’s sound is uncommon; it is just an accent that has been missing from the mainstream for awhile. The quintet’s premier album titled Twelve Stops and Home has many feeling that The Feeling could be the next big thing. Now with their radio friendly single Sewn most listeners have been captivated by the way Gillespie serenades the lyrics, “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.” Sewn is one of the most popular sing-along songs I have heard all year, but Gillespie doesn’t see The Feeling as ever being ordinarily marketable. “We are going to make music we want, we are not so concerned with style but songwriting,” states Gillespie. With inspiration from the big daddy Bob Marley and musician David Bowie, Sewn is entertaining in how every listeners catches themselves humming ‘Na-Na-Na-Na.’ Even the hit NBC show “Medium” has taken a liking to Sewn in that it was featured throughout one episode back in March. Then again the proud pop English gang has not garnered all raves towards their image and music. One reporter from drownedinsound.com has even gone onto say that Twelve Stops and Home, ‘Quite simply, this record is the devil's spawn incarnate.’ Well, to those infamous haters Gillespie does have a few words to say, “We are very different from everything else out there. In the U.K. we were never fashionable; the dirty word was ‘pop’ in England. But we have always believed in the public, if you show love you get it back.” Before hitting it big, The Feeling even toured around the French Alps to gain exposure, which has surely paid off in the long run. “Success came to us when we gave up trying,” admits Gillespie, which has me guess that The Feeling is appealing because they don’t try too hard to be something they are not. They are a pop band and they don’t deny that they are pigeonholed as one, which makes their glossy bell hop appearance seem bad ass. So when are the Brit’s with their crisp iron pressed image coming to pay the US a visit? Throughout the latter month of April they already toured up and down the East Coast, and headed back to the UK and Scotland to perform through June and July. The big-heartened band continues to makes waves with their most recent single Love it When You Call; with uplifting harmonies and lyrics such as, “I love it when you call/ But you never call at all/ So what's the complication it's only conversation.” Love it When You Call is well crafted and the lyrics seem like a soap opera that leaves me wanting more. And as Gillespie tells VH1 in a Jan. interview, “There’s something about pure pop music that's dead simple, and every musician thinks, ‘Oh, I could've come up with that.’ But they didn't.” There is also something so pure about The Feeling, that it doesn’t matter how ‘pop’ they are, it just matters that they create and embrace music that makes listeners feel good. Isn’t that the purpose of music anyways?

www.thefeeling.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thefeeling