The Feelies: Only Life (1988)

Having spent the past ~750 days writing up the top 3/4 of my 1000 favorite songs, I'm gonna take a breather before hitting those last 250 (or more?). I started this blog (itself just an exercise to get me doing some daily writing) focused on albums in my collection, and, frankly, it feels weird to spend so much time talking about individual songs. As a certified middle-aged dude, I grew up on long-players. And while the days of curling up in my bedroom for hours listening to scratchy vinyl records from start to finish are long behind me, I'm still an album guy, not a singles guy. And with thousands of records in my over-stuffed library, there are still quite a few I haven't delved into here.

So let's talk about Only Life, the Feelies' third album, released in 1988. It's been out of print for years (and I'm still kicking myself for not grabbing the 2005 remastered reissue during its very brief existence); however, it recently showed up on Spotify (along with the 1991's Time For A Witness, the final record from the band's original pre-reunion 4-album run, though it, too, remains out of print in physical form).

And damn, what a fantastic record. The first two Feelies albums get most of the attention, and deservedly so, but Only Life is still quite excellent, a logical progression from 1985's masterpiece The Good Earth. In contrast to the spiky post-punk experimentation of their 1980 debut, Earth was jangly and pastoral, the production of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck presumably playing a large part in drawing out a prettier, more acoustic sound. You can hear that carry forward on "It's Only Life," the namesake track which opens the follow-up record, pleasant folk rock propelled by Brenda Sauter's melodic bass. Tunes like "Deep Fascination" and "Higher Ground" chart a similar course.

But the album also rocks out on a number of more upbeat tracks, hinting at the sonic overhaul they'd unleash on Witness. The percussive "Too Much" adds energy to the mellow vibes, while the propulsive "Too Far Gone" and the album-closing Velvet Underground cover "What Goes On" capture the occasional fury of the band's live performances. Meanwhile, album standout "Away," a sequel of sorts to Good Earth's "Slipping (Into Something)," bridges the gap, a slow build into a frenetic adrenaline rush.

"Away" video:

"Too Much" live: