Not Feeling It

The Feeling polarise opinion dramatically. Their lively pop debut Twelve Stops From Home sold in huge numbers and their live shows kept audiences spellbound across the nation, drawing massive crowds at some the summer's biggest festivals. But that's only one side of the story. This is also one the country's most despised bands - insipid, irritating and sappy are all criticisms levelled at them. One thing is for certain though - The Feeling must have something, or else they couldn't have created such a stir.

This is an eagerly awaited second album and with more money at their disposal this time around, their fans can rightly assume something a little bigger, bolder and brasher than their 2006 debut. A slight skew in direction was made clear by lead single I Thought It Was Over, with its camp synths and dance-floor vibe and with that , the tone of the album is set perfectly. The Feeling seem to have left the indie side of pop behind in favour of a more beat-driven sound and no doubt will do nothing to bridge the gap between love and hate along the way.

Turn It Up is another hefty slice of cheddar and Won't Go Away maintains the theme. The truth is, this album is infinitely more irritating than Twelve Stops From Home and will probably be a massive disappointment to many of their biggest fans - there's no epic feel good hit like Fill My Little World here and no delicate ballad like Sewn. Join With Us is largely overblown and lacking in the hook-laden tune-craft that made The Feeling such a success in the first place.

It's not disastrous - there are plus points in the form of the more raucous Without You and the touching Loneliness. But as a piece of work, it departs from what The Feeling were all about in too dramtic a fashion to please their fans and is too irritating to do anything other than further alienate those who hated them the first time round. Very disappointing.