The Feelies

Despite a relatively low profile, The Feelies are at least partial architects of the American indie rock sound of the 1980s and beyond. Formed in Haledon, New Jersey in 1976, the band took its name from a cinema-like sensory experience in Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel Brave New World—and its frantic yet melodic sound from underground forebears like The Velvet Underground and The Modern Lovers. The Feelies’ debut album, 1980’s Crazy Rhythms, lived up to its name with the anxious interplay between guitarists Glenn Mercer and Bill Million. That record influenced the early sound of R.E.M., leading Peter Buck to co-produce 1986 follow-up The Good Earth. The band split up in 1991 after releasing just four albums, but the long tail of its limited discography encouraged The Feelies to reunite in 2008 and craft two more records of thoughtfully askew jangle-pop.