The Feelies Reissue Old Favorites
Maeri Ferguson
Posted On April 15, 2016
To say the Feelies have been an incomparable influence on contemporary indie rock would be a gross understatement. Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan has even said he met wife and bandmate Georgia Hubley at a Feelies concert in their early New Jersey days, so it’s safe to say they carry serious clout. A tad grungy and insanely hooky, their sound is so distinctly of its time yet also somehow timeless. And though they never hit it big, their following is intensely devoted, which is why the recent reissues of their third and fourth albums Only Life and Time for a Witness, as well as a handful of bonus tracks, will not fall on deaf ears, but will instead be treasured by those that love them most, and hopefully, a new crop of listeners.
1988’s Only Life is full of muted melancholy in the form of catchy pop melodies and lead singer Glenn Mercer’s understated, zen murmur. The guitar licks are deliciously sweet, and though the songs are low-key and subtle, they stick with you and stay in your head long after you’ve listened. “Deep Fascination” features some of the headiest jams the band has to offer and it’s easy to feel hypnotized by the smooth groove (and to see where their sound rubbed off a bit on Yo La Tengo). A recent re-recording of the opening track “It’s Only Life” may exhibit a more lived-in version of The Feelies, but it satisfies nonetheless.
The band’s next album Time for a Witness picks the pace up a bit, building on the sound of Only Life but with a heavier hand. Also amongst the reunion bonus tracks is the stellar “Waiting”, and its re-recording has more urgency than the original, making it even more danceable. Mercer’s vocals are imperfect, but just as compelling and electric. The fact that you can still catch The Feelies on the occasional tour speaks to their vitality as a band, and though there are still many music lovers who don’t realize how prevalent their influence has been on some of their favorite bands, these reissues may be a chance for them to start digging deeper to explore.
