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The Feelies with Qatsi – Johnny Brenda’s (Philadelphia, PA) – March 13, 2009
My first time seeing The Feelies play a small club show was as absolutely transcendent as I imagined that it would be. We got only two songs from Crazy Rhythms, but that didn’t matter much as the songs from 1988’s Only Life and 1991’s Time for a Witness were tremendous. And that doesn’t even get into the covers they played for not one, but two, full encores!
The Feelies – Only Life (A&M)
The only Feelies album currently in print, 1988’s Only Life was their third album and major label debut. Containing the incomparable tracks “Deep Fascination” and “Higher Ground” and other great songs like “Away”, the album’s title track (well technically it’s called “It’s Only Life”) was covered by MIKE DOUGHTY (formerly of SOUL COUGHING). The album’s last track is a cover of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND’s “What Goes On”.
The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (Capitol)
On initial plays, I like this but I’m not as thrilled with it as I have been with their output in the past. It definitely picks up where 2006’s The Crane Wife left off, with even more proggy excursions and not too much that’s initially memorable. Still, I feel that this will slowly reveal itself over time.
Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career (4AD)
For all the talk of this one being so much darker than 2006’s breakthrough Let’s Get Out of This Country, to me this feels very much like a logical follow-up. Sure, some of the lyrics are quite depressing, but Let’s Get Out of This Country had songs like “Tears for Affairs” on it, too. All in all, it sounds like Camera Obscura and this is a solid effort.
Neko Case – Middle Cyclone (Anti)
This is slowly becoming one of my favorites of the year. I can’t wait to see her play next month!
XTC – Skylarking (Geffen)
I’ve loved this album for a long time, but finding a $1 vinyl copy recently made me rediscover it all over again. XTC’s last great album (until 2000’s surprisingly superb and underrated Wasp Star: Apple Venus Volume 2), this 1986 classic is nearly perfect. It’s best-known for the controversial “Dear God”, initially relegated to a B-side (!) since ANDY PARTRIDGE hated it. Thankfully, after college radio DJs starting playing it instead of the intended A-side (the COLIN MOULDING-penned and sung “Grass”), it was put back on the album in place of the so-so “Mermaid Smiled” (which can be found on the odds and sods collection Rag and Bone Buffet along with original pressings of this album).
With all that said, my favorite songs on this album are “That’s Really Super, Supergirl” (yet another Partridge gem that he initially wanted off the album until producer TODD RUNDGREN insisted upon it; this is proof, to me at least, that some artists shouldn’t be allowed to have full control of how their music is presented) and “Earn Enough for Us”.
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Hyaena (Geffen)
The first Siouxsie and the Banshees album I ever heard, back when I was in my sophomore year of high school, is one I’ve always had a soft spot for and one that tends to get overlooked by fans. Probably best known as the Banshees album where ROBERT SMITH of THE CURE fulfilled his ambition of playing guitar with them as well as the album that contains their awesome cover of THE BEATLES’ “Dear Prudence”, it’s also chock full of other gems like “Take Me Back,” “Swimming Horses” and the haunting “Blow the House Down”. I remember playing side 2 of this album a few hours before seeing them play at Roseland back in April of 2002. As I was playing the album, there was a colossal thunderstorm raging and it proved an eerie, yet appropriate soundtrack.
Marianne Faithfull – Faithfull: A Collection of Her Best Recordings (Island)
The best part of this compilation, which was my first exposure to Faithfull (thanks to the fact that it was left by a friend of a former roommate), is that it contains 5 tracks from her stunning 1979 album Broken English. In fact I would argue that it contains all of Broken English’s best songs, including her takes on JOHN LENNON’s “Working Class Hero” and SHEL SILVERSTEIN’s “The Ballas of Lucy Jordan”. The coup de grace here is “Why D’ya Do It?”, one of the most foreword, graphic and bitterly accusatory examples of a song where the female protagonist rails against a cheating male partner that I can think of.
Echo and the Bunnymen – Siberia (Cooking Vinyl)
Continuing on with my Bunnymen listening from last week’s list, I recently revisited their last album. I liked it a lot at the time of its release and it sounds just as good now. I still regard this as by far their best album since 1984’s Ocean Rain. While it’s not quite on the same level as their 1980-1984 peak and while clearly many of the songs strive for reproductions of their halcyon days, this is still plenty enjoyable on its own merits.
The Exploding Hearts – Guitar Romantic (Dirtnap)
I recently revisited this incredible 2003 album, which made me re-read the piece I wrote about it several years ago. For those of you who missed it the first time around, click here.
