Monday, July 25, 2016

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE FELICE BROTHERS - LIFE IN THE DARK



Deliberately rough, simple, and stripped-down to the bare essentials, The Felice Brothers deliver, I dunno, what? Garage roots? Comparisons are being made to The Basement Tapes, and there's certainly good reason for that. The group keeps it unpolished but highly capable, anything from fiddle to feedback ready when called on. Harmonies and rhythms are loose but right, barn dance perfection.


The lyrics are often whimsical, based on quick rhymes that sound great but don't necessarily make a whole lot of sense. Certainly they can write full, thoughtful tunes, and there are some here with weightier thoughts, but at the same time, it's enjoyable to sit back and enjoy the playfulness of Aerosol Ball and "Plunder plunder, rain and thunder, lightning split my brain asunder." Diamond Bell is a bigger tune, a fateful folk tale with more Dylan influences, this time Desire-era. Bring it on, I say, this is prime real estate to explore.

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