Evidence Of Truth

All hail the Bar/None label, which has seen fit to finally re-release this wonderful '87 album by Feelies offshoot Yung Wu, featuring percussionist Dave Weckerman on lead vocals. Ready for some more crazy rhythms? Thought so.

Yung Wu - Spinning

What Love?

It's that time of year again, my amigos da musica, so hallelujah, here we go. FTSOTS presents the ten push and pulls of the year, not forgetting the finest reads around. Always a pleasure. Winning artwork - 'his dreams of music', yes sir - comme d'habitude by Tinca. Dig in and crack up.

1. Jake Xerxes Fussell - What In The Natural World
Jake Xerxes Fussell - Pinnacle Mountain Silver Mine
2. Colter Wall - s/t
Colter Wall - You Look To Yours
3. Joan Shelley - s/t
Joan Shelley - The Push And Pull
4. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up
5. The Feelies - In Between
6. The Weather Station - s/t
7. Hiss Golden Messenger - Hallelujah Anyhow
8. Here Lies Man - s/t
9. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice
10. John Moreland - Big Bad Love

Flamenco dept:
Luis Moneo - Mi Cante, Mi Palabra

Top books on music:

1. Erin Osmon - Jason Molina: Riding With The Ghost

2. Clinton Heylin - Trouble In Mind: Bob Dylan's Gospel Years

3. Reinhard Kleist - Nick Cave: Mercy On Me

4. Allan Jones - Can't Stand Up For Falling Down: Rock'n'Roll War Stories

Restless Dream

The Feelies never released anything subpar, and their brand new In Between is no exception to that rule. What joy, yet another album by Halendon's finest to treasure. Chew on this if you please: the Feelies may just be the coolest combo on the planet.

The Feelies - When To Go

Trying To Hide

Feelies fans of the world unite? Well, why not. If you share my soft spot for Haledon's finest, do head over to the excellent Doom & Gloom From The Tomb blog pronto. There, you'll find a mighty fine collection of live covers 1977-2009 waiting for you. For a taste, here's their take on one of my fave Wire ditties.

The Feelies - Outdoor Miner (live)

Crazy Love

My original vinyl copy of the delightful Crazy Rhythms - on the legendary Stiff label - being all but worn out, I just had to replace it. And guess what: the fairly recent cd reissue on Bar/None and Domino comes with a download code for access to a couple of bonus tracks, two of which are pre-album demos recorded at Carla Bley's studio in the spring of '79. Here's the best one, with that trademark neurotic guitar work and hypnotic percussion already firmly in place.

The Feelies - The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness (demo version)

Loco Means Crazy

"Crazy moonbeams cover up the sky, oh crazy, you're the light in my eye..." Un poco loco? Good. Presenting a mad mad ten pack. Dig in.

Bud Powell - Un Poco Loco MP3

Patsy Cline - Crazy MP3

Daniel Johnston - Crazy Love MP3

James Brown - I'll Go Crazy MP3

King Tubby & Friends - Real Gone Crazy Dub MP3

The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms MP3

Slick Slavin - Speed Crazy MP3

O.V. Wright - I'd Rather Be Blind, Crippled And Crazy MP3

Meat Puppets - Crazy MP3

El Lebrijano - Lo Mismo Que Un Loco MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 51

Just another Wild Weekend, and the beat goes on. Here's edition #51, bringing you rock from the motor city, lofi psychedelica from Brooklyn and roots reggae from the island. And we dig up the unjustly forgotten Jerry Riopelle. Get wild or get even.

Saint Julian Cope's been busy again, this time compiling an inspiring 38 song list - with fitting over the top commentary of course - of Electrifying Edisonian Rock ’n’ Roll from sixties and seventies Detroit. Which doesn't omit certified greats like the Stooges and the MC5, but also features lesser known revelations as The Up, Terry Knight & The Pack, and the Rationals. I guess you'll all agree the latter's Guitar Army is a stone cold classic. And pssst... you can dl the complete package over at IPunkSound. Meanwhile, we're moving to warmer climes with the angelic voices of reggae vocal duo the Congos, in a cool Lee Perry sculpted soundscape. Their Heart Of The Congos just may be my all-time fave roots album, but the sharp selection below hails from Arkology, one out of many great Perry collections.

The Rationals - Guitar Army MP3

The Congos - Don't Blame On I MP3

Acid folker Chris Hickey has just reissued his first two solo albums from the late eighties. Get busy here if you dig Dark Cold Day, which sets to music part of a poem by W.H. Auden called In Memory of W.B. Yeats. "The mercury sank in the mouth of the dying day, the day of his death was a dark cold day..." Chew on that, pop kids. On a brighter note, the together again Feelies will be releasing a new album soon and judging by taster Should Be Gone, not much has changed. Which is a good thing for once. I'm not a big fan of reunions in general, but I gladly make an exception for New Joysey's finest beatmakers. Btw: the guitar work near the end instantly reminded me of an early Television song, but I can't put my finger on it yet. Anyone?

Chris Hickey - Dark Cold Day MP3

The Feelies - Should Be Gone MP3

Remember Jerry Riopelle? Probably not. Dude was always busy as a producer and songwriter for others, which may have overshadowed his career as a solo artist. Riopelle was one of those typical critic's darlings, who heaped tons of praise on rootsy rock albums like Saving Grace (´74) and Dangerous Stranger (´79). If you dig the faintly Feat-like Blues On My Table, try picking these up for next to nothing on eBay or in the bargain bin of your local record store. And we've reached yet another Wild Weekend finish line with one more album of last year I managed to miss when it came out. Hey, nobody's perfect. Would have been a shame to do without the psychedelic lofi of Brooklyn-based Woods and their cd At Echo Lake though. To illustrate my point, here's the Powderfinger-inspired opener Blood Dries Darker. Have a wild one, see ya next week.

Jerry Riopelle - Blues On My Table MP3

Woods - Blood Dries Darker MP3

Mercer's back

Allright... back with a vengeance (albeit on somewhat ancient equipment for the time being) and with a sign of life from the one and only Glenn Mercer. Once he was the leader of the mighty Feelies, the archetypical eighties cultband from Haledon, New Jersey. They never made it big commercially, but they had a huge impact on lots of new bands back then. R.E.M. or Yo La Tengo anyone? I bet you they listened to Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth a lot... Most of my friends still get that faraway look in their eyes when the Feelies are mentioned. Gone, but certainly not forgotten. 

After the demise of the Feelies Mercer played in a lot of different combos, most recently Wake Ooloo. A hiatus of four years followed, but now there's Wheels In Motion, his first ever solo effort (Pravda records). As he sings in In Real Time: "When it's time to tell the story, take your time and get it right". Well, I guess he did. A quality collection of well-crafted songs, Wheels In Motion has all the ingredients you would expect from a proper Feelies album.

Stop press: most Feelies albums are very hard to find on CD, but all four will luckily get a re-release later this year, so you can start saving up already. But be sure to pick up Wheels In Motion first ok?

Glenn Mercer - Two Rights MP3
Glenn Mercer - In Real Time MP3