Album Notes

“Following "Up Late With People" (2004) Ness has topped that earlier effort and arguably everything else he's done before with an incredibly well-recorded, musically sophisticated and emotionally powerful contemplation of the need to rock even as one ages.” – Jim Derogatis, Chicago Sun-Times

"Another missed gem from 2008 that should not be neglected. I can't say enough about Ness. An amazing masterpiece of a rock and roll...This is one of the best progressive pop albums I've heard in a long time." - Powerpopaholic.com


"You Can’t Afford To Feel" (2008)
Describing "You Can’t Afford To Feel" is like opening a Pandora’s box of chimerical rock metaphors. Its unholy mixture of classic pop and epic reach is like Ray Davies wearing chain mail and jousting a tower of Vox AC30s, or Todd Rundgren daydreaming with a 23-sided die stuck in his ear. Imagine Gruff Rhys challenging the members of Pink Floyd to a duel after seven Brandy Alexanders, or Phil Spector threatening Brian Wilson with a semi-automatic weapon in a noisy airport. That might sound like "You Can’t Afford To Feel." On their new album, Ness deftly hone their craft to a white-hot tip but never give up their raw, zealous abandon. This is readily apparent on the explosive “Where’s Guns?” which opens the album like a lost Live At Leeds track. Full of mesmerizing melodies, seamless segues, eerie ethereality, and hypnotizing harmonies, these nine songs take you through the dizzying peaks and terrifying valleys that a great album is supposed to have. (Plenty of creamy mid grounds, too.) Ness continues to experiment with the long form: “The Future Used To Be Cool” clocks in at over 24 minutes. Needless to say, headphones and mind-expanding drugs are recommended for this monumental track (they work pretty well for the whole album, actually). Many thanks to Neal Ostrovsky, who recorded and mixed the album at his formidable Chicago studio, B-side Audio.

Band members:
Rick Ness, John San Juan , Bill Swartz, Phil Young.