Crazy Rhythms (1990)

While their New Wave contemporaries engaged in high technology or sonic chaos, New Jersey's Feelies made their 1980 debut with this obsessively pristine album of mesmerizing rhythm guitar rock, originally released only in England. The high-strung quartet's tightly controlled intensity, droning compositional style, and galloping tempos render simple songs unnerving and original. A nerdy suburban reply to the Velvet Underground, ''Crazy Rhythms'' remains an influential post-punk milestone; the band's ongoing alternative-scene significance makes this a timely rerelease. In a typically enigmatic move, the Feelies cut a version of the Stones' ''Paint It Black'' specifically for inclusion as a reissue bonus.

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