It’s twenty years since The Feelies, a much underrated and shy band that still somehow managed to gain the status of legends, called it a day, shortly after releasing their fourth album ‘Time for a Witness’. After reforming in 2008 and re-releasing their first two masterpieces - ‘Crazy Rhythm’ (1980) and ‘The Good Earth’ (1986) - ‘Here Before’ marks the band’s fifth album and first release featuring new material. The question however is if Bill Million, Glenn Mercer and co. manage to maintain that typical Feelies feel after such a long time in the wilderness without losing the freshness that made them so special when they disbanded twenty years ago. The answer is, hardly surprising really: yes and no.
They remain true to their formula in that Bill Million’s voice still sounds understated and, like a less confident Lou Reed, while the music remains stripped down, relying on repeating guitar chords and simplistic drum grooves which at best turn some songs into hypnotic little ditties. Unsurprisingly, The Feelies owe a lot of their sound to The Velvet Underground. At worst, I can’t help but think this is music that people listen to while having their skinny lattes in Starbuck’s, nostalgically reflecting about their wild past while simultaneously contemplating whether or not to buy new kitchen furniture. Unsurprisingly, REM owe a lot of their sound to The Feelies. This may sound a little harsh now and maybe it’s a tad unfair too, as it’s not The Feelies’ fault that their music had such a tremendous influence on American alternative music which in turn became such an integral part of the mainstream. Well, anyway. Over to the songs.
The opening songs Nobody Knows and Should Be Gone show The Feelies from their best side: easygoing and breezy, songs made for dancing through sunny spring days. Again Today, the album’s highlight, is a more sombre piece of folky Americana that showcases Bob Million’s talent for simple yet clever arrangements which make the song endure endless repeat listens. Way Down is pleasant enough to go straight into your feet again, while on Time Is Right they briefly find their way back to their up-tempo post punk roots.
On other songs however, like on When You Know, Time Is Right or Bluer Skies, the formula starts to wear thin and Bill Million’s monotonous mumbling doesn’t help things either. Chord changes always follow the same pattern, giving the album a feeling of ambling along. So yeah, The Feelies are back. But somehow they forgot how to keep their formula interesting. Let’s hope they find their mojo again without having to wait another twenty years.