Crazy Rhythms  by The Feelies

The Feelies' 1980 album "Crazy Rhythms" is considered one of the most influential albums of the American underground, laying the groundwork for indie rock and jangle pop in the decades that followed. "Crazy Rhythms" stands out for its absolute uniqueness. The music of the album is characterized by a continuous sense of "nervousness" and tension, backed by anxious vocals.

The record was recorded at Vanguard Studios in New York. The New Jersey band wanted absolute creative control. Instead of traditional rock clichés, they experimented with the spaces of the studio building. They used the long hallways for natural reverb. Instead of cymbals on the drums, they added all sorts of percussion, even sandpaper or woodblocks, so that the guitar frequencies would not be covered up. Mark Abel helped them in the studio as a co-producer. Abel once described them as the most persistent and "stubborn" people he had ever met, because they stubbornly refused to follow the standard recording techniques of the era.

In its time, "Crazy Rhythms" was not a commercial success. It was later recognized as a masterpiece. Bands like R.E.M. (Peter Buck later produced their second album) and Weezer have cited them as a major source of inspiration.