Glenn Mercer - Wheels in motion (2007)

1 	Days To Come 	3:39
2 	Wheels In Motion 	4:32
3 	Morning Lights 	3:11
4 	Until It's Clear 	5:12
5 	In Real Time 	3:40
6 	Whatever Happened 	5:22
7 	Get It Back 	2:49
8 	Two Rights 	5:10
9 	Here And Gone 	4:08
10 	Another Last Time 	5:12
11 	Within You, Without You/Love You To	7:05

Glenn Mercer - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Dave Weckerman - Bass, Drums, Percussion
Stanley Demeski - Drums, Percussion
Vinny Denunzio, Anton Fier - Drums

Wheels in Motion is the long-awaited solo album from former Feelies frontman Glenn Mercer. He has been quiet in recent years since disbanding Wake Ooloo, the group he led following the Feelies' demise in the early '90s. Wheels in Motion will sound agreeably familiar to the fans of those nerd-punk heroes. In fact, the album overall feels structured something like a Feelies tune. It starts subtly with the gentle, strummy opening number "Days to Come," but the tempo gradually builds with the succeeding tracks. On the second song, the title track, Mercer displays his distinctive guitar playing, balancing more guitar strumming with some dipping-and-soaring electric guitar work. His buzzy guitar playing gets showcased more prominently on the subsequent tracks: the bright, almost bouncy "Morning Light" and the darker "Into the Clear." The disc peaks with the magnificent "Whatever Happens." This tune, with its jagged, noisy guitars and Anton Fier's fierce drumming, most closely captures the classic Feelies' sound. The rest of the album's pace maintains this ebb and flow of strumming acoustic guitars and edgier electric guitars. "Two Rights" is a second half standout with its jangly, near-poppy sound. The disc concludes with a wonderful melding of two George Harrison songs: "Within You, Without You" and "Love You To" (a not surprising cover choice considering that the Feelies recorded several Beatles tunes during their lifetime). Mercer doesn't appear to be avoiding his past; he enlisted a handful of former Feelies colleagues (bassist Brenda Sauter-Barnes and drummers Fier, Stanley Demeski, Vinny DeNunzio, and Dave Weckerman) to back him up here. However, he doesn't attempt to fully re-create the Feelies sound. Mercer no longer is the "boy with perpetual nervousness." As he has matured as a musician, he has toned down his old band's "crazy rhythms" to create a sound that's more subdued but by no means mellow. While his solo outing may lack the Feelies' quirky dynamism or Wake Ooloo's garagey rock, there is shimmery fluidity to his music that makes it compelling in its own right. --- Michael Berick, allmusic.com

Glenn Mercer's first-ever solo album "Wheels In Motion" seems to come at a time when other influential artists are busy reuniting and reconnecting with past material. But former lead singer, guitarist & composer of the highly influential band The Feelies chooses another path by delivering a hypnotic, highly melodic and often reflective album. Glenn adds, 'The record is a very personal and intimate reflection on where I am, where I've been and where I'm going. The best part of the project was the opportunity to re-unite with a few old friends to play music. When I wrote and recorded the songs, I wanted the interplay between the guitar and vocal to be the main focus, building the track from that point.' After a 5-year hiatus from his last recording project Wake Ooloo, Glenn seems re-energized, re-focused and not afraid to lead us through his personal journey while showing us his influence by artists he knows, respects and admires such as Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan & Luna. --- pravdamusic.com

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