Songs and Other Things

Verlaine 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. No one, however, has been able to replicate his sounds, from delicate lace-like details to soaring and singling lines. "Around" and "Songs And Other Things" are his first new releases since "Warm And Cool" in 1992. "Around" picks up where the last one left off ? varied tones move effortlessly from melody to rhythm and are at once panoramic, pastoral, and atmospheric. It's largely an improvised record and features Tom's old Neon Boys bandmate Billy Ficca on drums. "Songs" is his first vocal album in sixteen years and it includes instrumentation from Television bassist Fred Smith. This record finds Verlaine's songwriting at its most colorful. With so many years between this and his last vocal record, he's got a lot of storytelling to catch up on, which makes every track here a gem.