| The Feelies – Crazy Rhythms (1980) |
This week’s album was an interesting discovery for myself considering how I actually stumble on this fine little nugget of an album. I was watching Jonathan Demme’s 1986 film Something Wild a while back when I noticed this offbeat little band playing in the background of a scene between Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith. So just for a lark I looked the band up and what a surprise, they weren’t half bad. In fact their debut album was and still is lauded as one of the best albums of 1980 and why not? In an era dominated by new wave and other relatively gimmicky sub-genres it’s amazing to see there were bands that just inhabited their own little world. The Feelies are often considered to be “Post-Punk” but if you ask me this is a definite precursor to modern indie guitar rock.
When I first listened to “The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness” I was amazed that this was a track that was recorded over 30 years ago. Someone could of told me this was from 2011 and I would of believed them. The production, supported by a wall of lush guitars and energetic rhythms creates an impenetrable wall of music that never fails to impress. Really The Feelies don’t write songs as much as they write grooves that just build and build, sucking you further in. Though what really adds that extra “kick” is the frenetic percussion parts. In my opinion they couldn’t of picked a better title for the album than “Crazy Rhythms”.
My interest in The Feelies is stilly fairly new so I won’t pretend to know anything about this band other than what I’ve heard on this record. Though if you’re a fan of jangley guitar rock and beats to keep your head bobbin’ then check out Crazy Rhythms.
Favorite Tracks: “Crazy Rhythms”, “Fa Ce-La”, “Loveless Love”