Feeling Strangely Fine is the follow-up by Semisonic

Semisonic

Semisonic is an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995. The band consisted of three members: Dan Wilson , John Munson , and Jacob Slichter...

 to 1996's Great Divide

Great Divide (album)

Great Divide is the first major label album released by American rock band Semisonic. It was released April 9, 1996 by MCA Records. It was produced by Paul Fox, and recorded/mixed by Ed Thacker.-History:...

recorded at Seedy Underbelly Studio, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

. The band had over 60 new songs in mind as they went into the recording process and had three specific requirements when they decided they wanted to record a new album. First, they didn't want to record any demotapes beyond simple guitar and vocal basement sketches meaning the album versions would be the first band recordings of the songs. Second, they wanted no deadline for the finished masters. Third, the trio wanted to create tracks for the album in various hi- and lo-tech settings around Minneapolis, and use their computers to meld the different sounds together. Nick Launay

Nick Launay

Nick Launay is an English record producer and recording engineer. He is currently one of the most sought after producers in the world due to his current success with recent albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...

 was brought in to produce the album and the band recorded twenty songs over the course of four months. They pared those down to sixteen, mixed them, and used the best twelve for the finished record.http://www.semisonic.com/music/fsf/default.asp

Track listing

All tracks by Dan Wilson

Dan Wilson (musician)

Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, Grammy-winning songwriter and producer...

 unless otherwise noted.

1. "Closing Time
   Closing Time (Semisonic song)
   "Closing Time" is the title of a song by American alternative rock band Semisonic. It was released in March 1998 as the lead single from their album Feeling Strangely Fine. One of the band's most popular songs, it was written by Dan Wilson and produced by Nick Launay. The song was nominated for the...
   
   " – 4:33
   • piano – John
   • strings arranged and conducted by Jake
2. "Singing in My Sleep" – 4:30
   • Wurlitzer piano – Jake
   • additional guitar – John
3. "Made to Last" – 5:02
   • Rhodes piano – Jake
   • piano – Dan
4. "Never You Mind" (Wilson, Jacob Slichter
   Jacob Slichter
   Jacob Slichter is an American musician. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in African American studies and history...
   
   ) – 4:24
   • piano, synth whistle – Dan
   • trembly guitar – John
   • lead guitar – Matt Wilson
5. "Secret Smile
   Secret Smile (Semisonic song)
   Secret Smile is the title of a song recorded by the American alternative rock band Semisonic.-Music video:The music video features lead singer Dan Wilson and a Japanese actress playing with a video camera. The paparazzi then arrive and the couple make a run for it...
   
   " – 4:39
   • Rhodes piano – Dan
   • Moog – John
   • strings & flutes arranged by Dan and Jake, conducted by Jake
6. "DND" – 4:11
   • loops – Dan
   • slide guitar solo – John
   • strings arranged by Dan, conducted by Jake
7. "Completely Pleased" – 3:19
   • piano – Dan
   • Moog – John
8. "This Will Be My Year" (Slichter) – 4:32
   • piano – Jake
   • stereo Moogs – Jake and John
9. "All Worked Out" – 2:52
   • piano – Jake
10. "California" – 5:29
    • drive-by Moog bass – John
    • earthquake and volcano loops – John and Jake
11. "She Spreads Her Wings" (John Munson
    John Munson
    John Munson is a Minneapolis musician who is best known as the bass player for Semisonic. He was also a member of Trip Shakespeare during the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Trip Shakespeare:...
    
    ) – 3:06
    • lead vocals, all guitars – John
    • piano, mellotron – Jake
12. "Gone to the Movies" – 3:52
    • wah wah guitar – John
    • string quartet arranged and conducted by Jake

Personnel

Semisonic

• John Munson – bass, vocals, guitar, moog, slide guitar, moog bass, piano, loops
• Jacob Slichter – drums, vocals, conducting, piano, string arrangement, rhodes, wurlitzer, mellotron, moog, loops, flute arrangement
• Dan Wilson – vocals, guitar, piano, string arrangement, rhodes, synth whistle, loops, flute arrangement

Additional personnel

• Bruce Allard – strings
• Mary Bahr – strings
• Carolyn Boulay – strings
• Troy Gardner – strings
• Josh Koestenbaum – strings
• Matt Wilson – lead guitar

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1998	The Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200	43

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1998	"Closing Time"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	1
1998	"Closing Time"	Billboard Adult Top 40	4
1998	"Singing in My Sleep"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	11
1999	"Secret Smile"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	21
1999	"Secret Smile"	Billboard Adult Top 40	35

Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
CRIA – Canada	Gold	September 29, 1998
RIAA – USA	Gold	July 2, 1998
RIAA – USA	Platinum	March 24, 1999