Matching guitar crosstalk with a lead singer whose pinched tones were like balsamic vinegar on the arugula-dry instrumental bits, Television remain sui generis. My introduction was their 1992 reunion album, which, I swear, deserves to be embraced as fully as their seventies work. As cool as an Old Fashioned on a terrace in January, this eponymous album puts a parched Tom Verlaine against his and Richard Lloyd’s excess; it’s the equivalent of watching Maureen Stapleton Interiors and her uninhibited red dress dancing. And Lloyd’s fiery rhythm work had just gotten a full workout on Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend. This is the sort of band that spells “glamour” with a u and comes up with solos to match; this is the sort of band whose songwriter-guitarist comes up with a phrase as piquant and lyrical as his best lead line.I included Verlaine solo tracks because they’re essential.Visit our affiliate/partner site Humanizing the Vacuum for great lists, commentary, and more.
