Feelings Store is jam-packed with emotions and chaotic psychedelic pop instrumentation that consume all who enter.
Feelings Store — the debut LP from Feelings Meeting — is like a used bookstore with shelves that overflow with books. But instead of books, the shelves of this album are jam-packed with feelings and chaotic psychedelic pop instrumentation that consume all who enter.
On the album’s Bandcamp page, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Eli Kaufman says about Feelings Store: “It all began with the strange incident of chopping off the tip of my right middle finger while cleaning my bike. From that point on I had the strength to make this album, something I wasn’t really sure I had.” It’s a graphic and scary way to spark creativity and the recording, as a result, buzzes with a nervous, near-panicked energy.
This energy is felt from the album’s opening notes: a twangy groove on the mighty standout opener “Time is Old.” From there, Feelings Meeting maintain a steady pace while swinging back and forth between soft and angular tones. “Before the Flood” begins with quiet vocals and guitar picking that both utter a melody that sounds like a children’s rhyme. Around the one minute mark, more instrumentals start to trickle in and the song temporarily teems with noise — Kaufman’s pounding percussion leads the charge. But just when you think the song will erupt with sounds, Feelings Meeting retreat. On closer “Before the Flood, Pt. 2,” they continue to use tender tones and conjure a swirling synth-scape that washes over the album’s final moments. True to the songs’ titles, we never hear the flood.
In a brief moment of quiet on the otherwise cacophonous track “Tower,” which shakes from the layered yowls of a guitar and synth, Kaufman emphatically asks, “Did I crush it or keep it afloat?” It’s a question that’s all too familiar for those who have a lot of feelings and worry over social interactions. But it also speaks to how mindful Feelings Meeting are about finding balance among chaos.
For those whose bags are overflowing with goodies after visiting the Feelings Store, Kaufman and his Feelings Meeting bandmates Matthew Murphy and Justin Lazarus are in another energetic band called Look Vibrant which is open 24/7 for those who have “eager ears”.
