Some Songs Considered

“The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness” – The Feelies 
(Words/music: Glenn Mercer and Bill Million, available on Crazy Rhythms, Stiff Records 1980) 

The Feelies played in Connecticut last night, and when I found out about it on Tuesday I was excited yet perplexed.  Putting aside the fact that I didn’t know that the Feelies continued their reunion past a few shows last summer, I found it kind of strange that they would be playing this tiny place not too far down the road from me.  These kind of shows don’t happen that often, so I convinced my roommate to join me with the promise that I would buy him a Shamrock Shake on the way home.  

The Feelies sounded great – they were tight and skillful, playing each song as effortlessly as the previous.  Admittedly, I admire Crazy Rhythms more than I know it – I enjoy listening to it whenever I put it on, but I didn’t go to the show with specific songs I wanted to hear.  So instead of digesting every detail or losing myself in my favorite songs, much of my attention focused on the sound of the performance in general.  When I think about the Feelies, I think of the way “The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness” sounds – a mix of percussion and tightly wound guitar creating a giddy elasticity to the sound.  Last night, The Feelies sounded bigger – their sounds had more depth than I remembered.  Some of this comes from the difference between a live performance and a record recorded thirty years ago, but I was generally surprised at the different instruments used – specifically twelve string acoustic guitar.  Listening to Crazy Rhythms again today, I’m reminded of this range; the songs aren’t all balls of nervous energy, and even three decades later these songs seem as vibrant as ever.

More on The Feelies: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Amphetamine” – Rocket from the Tombs
(Words/music: Peter Laughner, available on The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs, Smog Veil 2002)

As previously mentioned in Some Songs Considered, I’ve had some wonderful experiences as a college radio DJ.  I met a lot of awesome people and learned about a tremendous amount of music both old and new.  Being a DJ was one of the most valuable experiences I had in college – it builds public speaking skills (or at least providing a bridge into public speaking by having an audience but not having to physically see it), breeds humility (when you go two hours without a phone call), and introduces many of us to the value and impact of alternative media (to this day, half of my presets in my car are local college stations).  Yes, there were many nights (and, more recently, mornings) when the songs I played were my only company, but on many occasions people called to ask for a new song or say hi.  Others were less conventional – I got asked for directions once, received a 10 minute lecture about how I should see the director’s cut of Donnie Darko, and maybe my favorite one of all time (paraphrased) – “I love your show – me and my cats listen all the time!”

My favorite calls, for obvious reasons, were the people that wanted to talk music.  Most of the time, it would be some jubilant local resident calling to find out the current song.  We’d chat for a few minutes about the song, what it sounded like, and whether the rest of the album was as good (or, in some cases, better).  Usually, because of the DJ-listener arrangement, I was the one giving the advise and would occasionally receive tips on new things when they were something I didn’t own or something the station didn’t have.  One time, while playing a live version of Wilco’s “Misunderstood,” a man called me up and told me how “Misunderstood” quoted a verse from a song called “Amphetamine.”  I had seen the liner notes that gave credit to another song, but never really thought too much about it.  We talked about Wilco a little bit, and my listener told me how Rocket From the Tombs’ members went on to form Pere Ubu and The Dead Boys (whose “Sonic Reducer” will appear here soon), and soon afterward, I hunted down “Amphetamine.”

It makes sense after listening to “Amphetamine” why Jeff Tweedy would borrow the opening lines of the song to use in his own composition.  Written by guitarist Peter Laughner before his death in 1977, “Amphetamine” focuses on the same sort of suburban restlessness and frustration experienced in “Misunderstood.”  The verses ring with melancholic guitar lines intermingling with the storyline.  Appropriately, Laughner almost joined Television before his death, and “Amphetamine” sounds like a Television song played at a slower pace.  Laughner clearly had songwriting chops too, as “Amphetamine” adeptly moves from the slower ballad-like verses into a more frenetic chorus (oh, listen to those drums!), mimicking the “hurry up and wait” feel of the song.  Like suburban life (or, following the title’s nod, a speed rush), there’s highs and lows, but the highs come too quick (and, as the chorus suggests, are solitary parties) and the lows tend to stretch too far.  While many others in the late 70s turned this suburban angst into three chord thrashes, Laughner approached the subject with a tinge of sadness and reservation, not to mention a hell of an ear for melody.

More on Rocket from the Tombs: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm