I know so little about the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed that I probably should be embarrassed to talk about them. I mean, the Velvet Underground were incredibly important and I've liked Nico for long enough that I have no excuse for not checking out more of their stuff. But that's beside the point.

I heard "Waves of Fear" in my friend's car on the way back from the ESPN Zone where we watched the Packers fall apart in the playoffs. The fretless bass works so well here it kind of blows my mind. Instead of sounding like a jazzy double bass, it gives the song this really great warm, rolling groove. Without that kind of melodic stability the lead guitar would massacre the song. Reed sings with a lot more conviction here than he does on the rest of the album, which is kind of completely necessary given the song's tenor and subject matter.

I can't tell if the drummer is throwing in double bass fills or if he's just really proficient with a single kick, but either way it is incredibly powerful and, in a weird way, pulls the song back towards its heavier rock elements without destroying the somewhat freeform Lou Reed style.

"Waves of Fear" isn't the perfect song, but its exciting to hear people play with the format and sound of hard rock songs and still convey many of the same emotions. Maybe it's time for me to hear some more Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground.

Waves of Fear - The Blue Mask