Thursday, January 26, 2017

New Music For the Middle Aged

I mean no offense with that headline... I'm one of 'em! The albums have been few and far between, five in roughly 36 years, but the Feelies have been nothing but quality every time out. The followup to the excellent 2011 album 'Here Before' is about to hit the shelves (With language like that, I must be old!) via Bar/None Records, and the first two songs we have the privilege of hearing are oh-so Feelies. That album cover is vintage Feelies too. 'In Between' is out on Feb. 27.






Ray Davies is such a treasure. Oops, make that SIR Ray Davies. The freshly knighted musician has a new studio album coming out for the first time in almost a decade. Big news made even bigger by the fact he's backed by another one of my favorites, the Jayhawks. When greats come together, it doesn't always work, but I have a good feeling about 'Americana,' out April 21 on Legacy. Davies has been inspired by the country and its culture for many years, as readers of his most recent biography, 'Americana: The Kinks, the Riff, the Road: The Story,' are well aware. If you haven't read Davies' two biographies, wait no longer. 'X-Ray,' chronicling the early years, is probably the most intriguing music biography I have ever read. Got off track a bit. Let's get back to the new music. Here's "Poetry."

Posted by at

5 comments:

The Swede said...

It looks like a Feelies record and it sounds like a Feelies record, neither of which can be a bad thing at all. I've heard the Ray Davies track a couple of times on the radio and at no point did any DJ mention the Jayhawks connection - you can't get the staff can you? It's a very good tune, although I do get the urge to go off and play a Cockney Rebel record after I've heard it.
Talking of new music for the middle aged, the new Wire single, 'Short Elevated Period', and 'Sweet Revenge' by Modern English are both absolute blinders too.

January 26, 2017 at 3:30 PM
Brian said...

Swede,
Wire just keeps getting it right. I didn't know about new Modern English, but I'll seek it out as soon as I'm finished here. Their last album, Soundtrack, was very good. Not sure if anyone heard it, but "It's OK" was one of my favorite singles of 2010.

January 26, 2017 at 5:33 PM
Brian said...

And crazy not to have mentioned the Jayhawks!

January 26, 2017 at 5:34 PM
Echorich said...

Excellent new Feelies songs. I like the darker sound especially.
The Wire single has some of the urgency whiich the band pulled back from on Nocturnal Koreans.
As for Modern English, they recently announced their second US Tour in less than a year. The two preview singles from new album Take Me To The Trees are very good!

January 26, 2017 at 11:39 PM
George said...

For some reason I couldn't access those Feelies tracks the other day, but they are very good. The introduction to that Ray Davies song certainly has a Jayhawks feel to it. A damned good song that one, Brian.

January 28, 2017 at 11:06 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)