Phases and Stages

The Feelies

Since Haledon, N.J.'s most famous export put out Crazy Rhythms in 1980, a new generation of bands has taken apart their anxious post-punk puzzle and reshaped it to the point of caricature. The Feelies' latest album in 20 years certainly puts the punch line in the title, not to mention the opening track: "Is it too late to do it again?" There's a sense the 21st century Feelies aren't in it for the nostalgia, but rather to add another round to the quintet's tab. Guitarists Bill Million and Glenn Mercer still anchor every song, intertwining strum with tongue in cheek on "Again Today" and "Later On." If anything, Here Before echoes the pastel colors of 1986's The Good Earth, each song a subtle variant of the next, measured and metronomic. This isn't a first-spin grabber, but if you're as patient as the Feelies have been, it might grow on you.