The Lumberjack Thief’s small group of friends knows that he can be quite the evangelist for The Feelies.

But like Ted Haggard, the Thief had a dirty little secret buried within his proselytism. You see, for pretty much the entire time I’ve been a Feelies fan, I’d only listened to the seminal Crazy Rhythms.

All that has changed now. Sick of living the lie, I listened to The Good Earth on my iPod as I walked home from work on Monday. Howard Wolfson says it’s “their best” and I can understand why he thinks that. Even though the vocals are buried deep in the mix and Anton Fier is no where to be found, it’s damn good and perhaps more beautiful than its predecessor.

Plus, REM’s Peter Buck co-produced it:

With co-production from noted fan Peter Buck, the group exchanged some of the understated tense frazzle of Crazy Rhythms for a gentler propulsion without losing its trancy edge. Compared to the wispy jangle rock that passed for much of college radio at the time, the Feelies proposed a different path with the songs’ steady pace and murkier feeling. Demeski’s a more than fine replacement for Fier (his martial playing on “Tomorrow Today” is one of his many entertaining touches), Sauter’s playing emphasizes controlled understatement, and the Million/Mercer guitar duo still nails it.

The Feelies - Let’s Go (buy)

Posted by thelumberjackthief |