Toadies formed in 1989 as a grunge band from Fort Worth, Texas. Feeler was originally recorded in 1997, but the band's label, Interscope, didn't like it, so it wasn't released in 1998 as planned. In June 2010, it was decided to release Feeler as unfinished versions are on the internet and the band wanted the album heard as they meant for it to be.
Feeler opens with "Trust Game" as vocalist Todd Lewis sings "Do you wanna play the trust game?" The slow dark tone of the song is reminisent of other grunge bands from the 90s such as Soundgarden or Pearl Jam.
"Waterfall" uses repetition of the lines "Now's the time, the time is now" to build the song from the very beginning and the fuel created lasts throughout the song.
At the midpoint of Feeler, "Mine" pleasantly varies from the expected grunge radio track with dissonant guitars and vocals and stands out on it's own. "Decide, decide. You're mine, all mine," sings Lewis in his dark yet melodic way.
The closing track "Pink" has an upbeat feel. The lyrics "Don’t worry, it's easy" are repeated over and over and make a great end to Feeler.
Though Feeler was recorded over a decade ago and sounds like it is from the 90s, it still has lasting qualities, especially with original fans of the band. But don't write this off just because it's not brand new, it could easily become a new favorite album after a few listens.
4 out of 5 by Freelancer: Erica Devaney