this is the thread where velvet crush fans like myself gather around and talk shit about the band.

just have that x-factor.

and rick menck - the craziest drummer in rock'n'roll?

They were quite mad live, the drummer was a real character who liked to walk around stage which could sometimes be annoying if you wanted them to get on with it, but it was usually quite fun.

I saw a band called Further a while back supporting Comet Gain and they reminded me of Velvet Crush, I think one of the guys from that band went on to form Beechwood Sparks.

and, to put it this way, i think 'soft sounds' is BETTER than any of the beachwood sparks album.

and they always have a song on their album, that hits some sort of personal archetype, a folk 'oooh child' feeling, where you feel like you are in a crazy film.

i rediscovered them when i saw the tyde play with GENTLEMEN RICK MENCK at 93 feet east. a moment, if only for me.

further was the genesis of the tyde and the beachwood sparks.

too many byrds covers, but it's like rem's dead letter office, plays well as an album, strictly not for completists, but people who like the messy afterbirth of an album.

i just love this band!

'this life is killing me' is the most succinct implosion of depression and catharis, like, EVAH!

Split into two "sides" and including three interesting covers, the album begins with "Staying Found", a downbeat but constantly building pop track that showcases lead singer Paul Chastain's strength in hitting all the right high notes in the right places. Matthew Sweet provides some harmony vocals (as some of the material was recorded at Sweet's Los Angeles abode) while Menck plays a minor role over the keyboards. The track sets the course for most of the record, a tamer and more sobering effort than some lovers of the group might be accustomed to. "Don't Take Me Down" picks up the pace slightly, adding more Richards-like guitar riffs that same more when offered sparingly. Matthew Sweet and Tom Petty circa She's the One would draw fair comparisons. The only early miscue is the sugarcoated cover of the Alex Chilton and Box Tops' track "Rollin' in My Sleep".

"Some Kind of Light" returns to the blueprint of "Staying Found", but with more guitar and feedback in the vein of Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. "Wish you could see inside you I got you", Chastain croons. Perhaps the track that "rocks" is the mid-tempo toe-tapper "Save Me a Place" which covers a tune penned for Fleetwood Mac by Lindsay Buckingham. Singing with more of a country sound in his voice over some country chords and accompanying pedal steel from Greg Leisz, this track is the album's highlight. Most of the album has a touch of melancholy, though, that at times results in the suffering of the song. The Paul Simon meets Cat Stevens delivery for "In Your Time" is strong in the acoustic folk driven tune, but the song would benefit from an improved arrangement.

"Forever, For Now" is another stellar song that has traces of harmonica and more of a folk style feel, but Chastain gives such a definite bounce in the tempo that good-natured vibe oozes from it. But if there's any downside to the album, it seems many of the tracks are interchangeable, which becomes rather monotonous at times. The horns and Bacharach hues on "She Goes On" are similar to a '70s love song or Brian Wilson before hitting his creative breaking point. "Vanishing Point" has potential but ends just as the tune lifts off the ground, culminating in just over two minutes.

When The Velvet Crush opt for the murky country rock styles, the payoff is quite good. "Duchess", a track from the legendary and contemporary Pulp guru Scott Walker, has a Townes Van Zandt feeling running throughout. Talking about shimmering dresses and lighting candles, Chastain gives his best on this track. This is followed by the horrid "Party Line (Samba)", a track that reminds all what was so bad about the Doors. The flamenco and Latin flavor is ambitious but utterly forgettable.

Closing with the spacey and dreamy "Late in the Day", a reflective song about regrets and time passing. "Was it Christmas when I said I'd return before the fall / Plans only made to change / Our worlds will never be the same", Chastain sings over a lovable piano and guitar effect. This is also the first song allowed to see its logical and lengthy conclusion, something the album could use more of. A soft rock record, to be sure, but fear not Velvet Crush fans. The group has lined up Jay Bennet, Bob Kimbell, and Nick Rudd for its next harder sounding pop album.

— 6 November 2002

I bought Further's 'Next Time West Coast' last week; I like.

Apart from that:

the 'Peppermint Stick Parade' comp on Bus Stop (mostly proto-VC stuff)

'Melody #1' from the last album

and, uhhh, some of the stuff they did with Stephen Duffy.

hah, this the only velvet crush thread here?

listened to free expression today for the first time IN AGES, kinda solid altho the production lets it down a bit

then i listened to teenage symphonies -- better than i remember it, some nice rockers for such a wimpy band

don't really listen to much power pop at all these days, but it's nice to revisit once every so often i guess

added mitch easter content!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqD6Z8KYUGw&feature=related

Weird Summer!

yeah that was one i remembered, nice guitar work on that tune

heard this song on the local college radio station in high school (KSPC repraZENT!), sold me forever on this band:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbchaN7EnSE

found the 7" shortly afterwards, still have it

these guys

Love this band... Just discovering all the Choo Choo Train/Springfields early stuff.

10/10 for "Butterfly Position."

http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Butterfly+Position/53cKVo?src=5