Songs & Other Things

An accurate description of Tom Verlaine's career would read much like a thesaurus entry for influential. He has truly shaped the sound of modern music, from his early days with the Neon Boys and Television, throughout his solo career, and most recently as the guitarist in Patti Smith's band. Always ahead of the curve, Tom's influence is immeasurable throughout the rock world with bands as diverse as The Strokes and Dos claiming him as an influence. No one, however, has been able to replicate his sounds, from delicate lace-like details to soaring and singling lines. It's hard to describe without a slew of superlatives. Songs and other things is Tom Verlaine's first vocal release since The Wonder in 1990. The return of his cool vibrato weaving in and out of his guitar lines is exciting. For this new vocal release, Verlaine recorded with a variety of friends including Television bassist Fred Smith. He wrote all the songs, played all the guitars and even spent some time on bass. Songs and other things finds Verlaine's songwriting at it's most colorful. According to Tom, "Lovebird Asylum Seeker" got it's inspiration from a "picture of some friendly insects walking across a dusty desk and spelling out letters." The opening track is an instrumental, "like an introduction; what you hear at the beginning of a movie." For Verlaine, the songwriting process is natural, with ebbs and flows that he makes sure not to force. "Sometimes you write a song in twenty minutes," Verlaine says, while sometimes a song "looking to be agonized over never makes it to the studio." With 25 years in between this and Verlaine's last vocal record, he has a lot of storytelling to catch up on, which makes every track here a true gem.