Glenn Mercer Wheels In Motion

Glenn Mercer's old band, The Feelies, was once removed from both the mainstream and the underground. Meaning, their two basic stylistic variations - light, demanding, slow tempo tunes and the more hectic, rhythmic strums of the faster Feelies songs - had no match in their time, and seemed to exist in their own vacuum. This is a compliment, by the way. Borrowing from the vocal cadence of Lou Reed and some of the musical stylings of the VU, and moving further a field in the strum-rock landscape of REM and others, the Feelies still occupy a well-earned place among the underground unwashed. The Good Earth LP is still a treasured collectable, and their last record, Time For A Witness, for me, holds its own to this day. Wheels In Motion, his first record in five years, is a welcome continuation and addition to Mercer's catalog.

Funny thing is, as singer/guitarist Glenn Mercer has released his first solo album, it is, essentially, a Feelies LP. Subtle rhythms, driven by both acoustic and electric guitars, define this very good album. Musically, it is an album that keeps with the Mercer aesthetic described above, occasionally fast-paced but generally laconic. But lyrically, it's very much in the now, and the words speak in personal terms of where Mercer has been and where he is headed. Tunes like the hummable Two Rights are subtle, but lead to a climax that is the antithesis of anthemic. Which is why this album, and Feelies records in general, are such a relief - they break free of the quiet/loud/tension-and-release of the grunge of the 1990s and the shapeless pop-punk of today. A few spins of this record, and its restrained New Jersey-bred charms will begin to sink in.