THE STRANGLERS - FELINE

 

Released 40 years ago today, on January 22, 1983, it's The Stranglers 7th studio LP, Feline. After the critical and chart success of La Folie and the Golden Brown single, Feline continued the band's evolution into a hybrid style of electronics infused alternative Euro-pop. Most notably, this is evident in Jet Black's use of synth-drums, augmented by his near metronome perfect meter. It's a move which may have alienated fans of their raunchier punk roots, but resulted in some exquisitely composed confections for those who could appreciate their newfound subtlety.

The album was initially released with a bonus 7", Aural Sculpture Manifesto, a deliberately pretentious sounding monologue delivered by Hugh Cornwell, espousing the band's theory and mastery of sonic manipulation, which was clearly beyond the purview of their peers <hurumpf>. As for the LP proper, it was home to three singles: European Female, Midnight Summer Dream and Paradise, though the US edition of the LP included Golden Brown as the closing track on the A side of the record. While the LP charted higher than the previous album, the singles found less receptive audiences than Golden Brown. Critics were somewhat mixed in their response to the album, with accusations that the album was "boring" coming from several. However, as previously mentioned, the style of the album was less "beat them over the head" and more "seduce them", so its charms are only revealed through repeated listening. In addition to the electronic drums, the album relies on predominantly acoustic guitars and Dave's synth textures to create a balance between the natural and the synthetic. This gives the album a rather dreamy ambience throughout.

While it may not rank as my favorite LP from the band, falling in behind La Folie, The Raven & Meninblack, it keeps pace as a tight fourth in that pack and offers a consistently enjoyable listen whenever I'm in the mood for its muted savage charms. I had the pleasure of seeing the band live when they toured this LP and it was a wonderful experience I'll soon be recounting for your amusement.