The Two Of Us Explored

Filthy Friends “Any Kind of Crowd”

Filthy Friends is essentially the touring version of R.E.M. minus Michael Stipe and Mike Mills, but with Corin Tucker from Sleater-Kinney on lead vocals and Kurt Bloch from the Fastbacks on guitar. It sounds almost exactly like what you’d expect, but… even more so. “Any Kind of Crowd” sounds as though Corin specifically requested Peter Buck to go full-on Reckoning, and he graciously obliged. I’m pretty sure even a layperson could identify Buck’s playing on this song – it sounds like the platonic ideal of himself, like a perfect early ‘80s R.E.M. song that we all know but never actually existed. Tucker sounds fabulous in this context, and the jangling, easygoing vibe brings out out the warmth in her voice, and files down the sharper edges that get highlighted in Sleater-Kinney’s more jagged and urgent style. They’re so simpatico that this song, which would’ve felt light and summery no matter what, comes out feeling especially fun and relaxed.

Buy it from Bandcamp.