The Feelies - 'The Good Earth' (Domino/Coyote)

There was quite a hiatus before this appeared and when it did, it was almost shocking - gone are the jittery rhythms and angular guitar leads, replaced by languid, open-chord strums. And I think they're a better band for it. Was it a brave choice, turning down the energy and looking for something else; or was it a crass appeal to commercial pressures, fitting into the jangly 'college rock' vibe of the late 1980s? I don't buy it that turning down and simplifying - and consciously removing your 'edge' - is a sign of selling out or lesser quality music. The Good Earth is a masterpiece, clearly one of the high water marks of American rock in the 80s and the Feelies' finest achievement. And they have the distinction of being a band that simultaneously influenced R.E.M. (with their first album) and was influenced by R.E.M. (here). Though R.E.M. is a bit of an easy comparison, just because there's arpeggios galore and a solid backbeat; I also hear traces of country standards, blues/spirituals, and of course folk. There's a cowboy vibe to 'Tomorrow Today', which utilises the new rhythm section of Brenda Sauter, Dave Weckerman and Stan Demeski to great success. 'Slipping (Into Something)' and 'Let's Go' are not too far from the songwriting of Crazy Rhythms, just using a different arrangement to the same tension and cadences. 'The Last Roundup' is the most indicative of the earlier material, probably a holdover, with lots of frantic strumming and the two percussionists used to full effect. The highlight of this record for me, and therefore of The Feelies, is 'When Company Comes', the most simple sketch of a song, built around three chords strummed and with a chorus of nearly wordless vocals, topped with some searing guitar notes. It's pure psychedelia, but like you've never heard before. I don't know why it moves me so much - maybe, when combined with the speaking voices mixed into the end and the way it comes as the last song on side one (which is always the best position for a song, in my opinion), it all amalgamates into some lost, wispy alternative Americana that I can't remember (I was six when this came out) but yearn for anyway. (hint: it never existed)

Art Zoyd - 'Syphonie pour le jour du bruleront les cities' (Cryonic, Inc.)

1980 is an odd year. A friend of mine has this theory that 1980 was neither part of the 70's nor the 80's. He would argue this if presented with any photo, of anything, from 1980, pointing out how fashion was in this weird in-between period (specifically citing sleeve lengths, I think) and popular music felt similarly stuck between the dying throws of disco and the new-wave identity still being worked out. It stood alone. This is all horseshit I heard over a plate of baba ghanouj about 10 years ago so I'm probably misquoting it, but it stuck with me. After all, what are we to make of this weird Art Zoyd record from the same time? Weird, because it's not all that weird. It's intense and theatrical but you'd expect that; there's synthesisers but playing fairly conventional, and second fiddle to dissonant string glissandos. It's Lois Vierk taking out the washing, tripping on 'Masques' weird trumpet improvisations and floating up on tightly composed chordal platforms, like the ones in old Nintendo Mario games that raise and lower on their own, making you time your jumps just right. Though we're assaulted with 'crazy' vocalising as soon as we drop the needle, most of this record is instrumental. Dark, yes; cloudy, sinister, like the backgroup to The Crow II, yes; but strangely it's not even a little bit laughable. Prog's excesses, even to fans like me, have to cause you to grin sometimes, but this feels more pitched on a neoclassical needle than the wizards and Tarkus-things so commonly derided. Maybe it's just the inherent Frenchness causing some distance for me. But this is what I've always associated with French prog - it's no less technically impressive than its British or Italian counterparts, but it lacks that Dionysian edge. These guys are serious and they find excitement in their compositions - because there are surprisingly few 'solos' here. The rebellion is maybe against the freewheelin' flaneur, savoir faire, je ne sais quoi stereotypes we have of the French - these guys are les seriouxes. The 1980 sound is in the production - it's loud and close, with almost no percussion and a glassy sheen on everything, anticipating later 80's treatment of synths and guitars but not quite there yet. And this is supposedly Rock in Opposition but it sounds more like punchy chamber music to me.