The Feelies - The Good Earth

8.8/10

..........................................................................

The Good Earth just sounds good. The guitars shimmer like they're being played live, right in front of you. The drums are clean and precise. It's the sound of a band that's extremely comfortable, concise, and relaxed.

It has a very earthy and organic feel to it. It's a great road trip album. Great acoustic songs set to standard 4/4 time and somewhat campy vocals over the top.

Let's see, so far I've described this album as "good" and "earthy."

How original of me.

The Velvet Underground has often been mentioned as a huge influence to The Feelies, and I can affirm that sentiment. But it's not at all in a contrived or forced way. They still do their own thing. And they just have a coolness about them (albeit more in a nerdy sense than their predecessors) that emerges from their sound.

The first two songs serve as the perfect introduction as perhaps the most conservative and conventional of the group. But they're also two of the best.

"The Last Roundup" is set to a galloping pace, the guitars and drums drive in and out like a swerving car on a highway. It's a great contrast to the rest of the album.

"Slipping (Into Something)" is the most epic piece on the album. In VU fashion, they take a delicate and mid-tempo tune, speed it up, and turn it into a fast paced race to the finish as guitars strum and drums beat louder and faster. It may not be original, but it's executed to perfection.

"Tommorow Today" is nearly psychedelic. I don't know what effects they used to get that sound, but it's almost hypnotizing.

Basically, this is just a really good record to play when you feel like drifting away to a really comfortable place with no real concerns or worries. Comfort food at its finest.