Felt Albums (8)
'Me and a Monkey on the Moon'
Release Date 1/1/1989
Tracks 10
Label Cherry Red
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What The Critics Say
Felt's main man, Lawrence, had a plan. Ten years, ten records, then break up the band. This is that tenth record and Felt goes out on a high note. Me and a Monkey on the Moon is the most musically accomplished and personal record of the band's career. It is emotional, funny, and loaded with memorable melodies, some of Lawrence's best. Felt always came across as incredibly remote and icy. The sound was sparse and jagged, the lyrics -- when not vague -- were hostile and acerbic, and Lawrence's vocals were pitched somewhere between Lou Reed and talking in his sleep. Me and a Monkey on the Moon is so intimate and personal that it almost sounds like a different band. The record sounds like Lawrence's autobiography, with songs about childhood, family, lost love, and the end of Felt; eight of the ten songs have "I" in the first line and they are all sung in a voice aching with loss and regret. The emotional nature of the lyrics and singing is bolstered by the lush and autumnal musical backing provided by the band. Martin Duffy is amazing here; he plays a wide range of keyboards from piano to mellotron to ARP string ensemble with just the right notes and feeling. The record is filled with instrumentation that was totally new to Felt, like long rock & roll guitar solos, pedal steel guitars, and female backup vocals. It all works to create a rich and heartfelt farewell to Felt, full of sentiment but not sentimental -- the sound of a band reaching its potential and kissing it goodbye. As great as Lawrence's next band, the glam and novelty rock-inspired Denim, was, it is too bad he didn't further explore the adult and emotional sounds of Me and a Monkey on the Moon. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Felt mainman Lawrence has said that this is his favorite Felt record. Which is funny because all he does on the album is title the songs. He does a fine job however; "Run Chico Run" and "Press Softly on the Brakes, Holly" are two titles most songwriters would give at least five bucks for. The music itself is mostly cocktail jazz played by vibes and piano with a splash of percussion. The melodies are nice, if sometimes a little new-agey. Still, when the album is finished one is hard pressed to see what Lawrence is on about. Perhaps his fondness stems from the concept behind the record. No pop band in their right mind would release an album of inconsequential tinklings when all around them bands are changing the face of music or scaling the charts or desperately trying to get ahead. Nobody but Felt. Well, that's Lawrence for you. A man with his own peculiar and quite amusing ways. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
'Pictorial Jackson Review'
Release Date 1/1/1988
Tracks 10
Label Creation
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What The Critics Say
More evidence of Felt's odd approach to a career in rock music. Side one is eight songs in the classic indie pop vein. The guitars ring loudly, Hammond organs swoop in and out, Lawrence's flat and reedy vocals sing songs of bitterness and irony. Indie pop unequaled by any other band of their era. Each song as catchy and memorable as the last. "Don't Die on My Doorstep" deserving extra credit for having one of the best song titles of the '80s. Then you flip the record over and are met by a 12-minute ambient piano piece. Martin Duffy presses softly on the keys and the melody that results is not unaffecting, in fact, it is kind of pretty in a new-agey way. Still, you have to wonder what they were thinking. Careers are made by delivering what the people expect and only that, over and over, until they get bored and find the next big thing. Following your own path usually leads to nothing but heartbreak, poverty, and the occasional great pop record. Like this one. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
'Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death'
Release Date 1/1/1986
Tracks 10
Label Creation
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What The Critics Say
Felt's other instrumental album, Train Above the City, was created without the involvement of frontman Lawrence (beyond the naming of the songs), but with Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death Lawrence got in on the act, authoring or co-authoring nine of the ten brief instrumental tracks and playing guitar. Without a doubt the most minor, disposable record in Felt's catalog, Let the Snakes... sounds like backing tracks awaiting vocal overdubs. No memorable melodies or interesting textures fill the void created by the absence of vocals, and as a result most of the compositions seem unfinished or simply unremarkable. Leave this one for the completists. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
'Forever Breathes the Lonely Word'
Release Date 1/1/1986
Tracks 8
Label Creation
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What The Critics Say
Words like "shimmering" and "jangling" seem like such rock clichés, but if any guitars ever deserved the term, those on Forever Breathes the Lonely Word certainly do. The album is almost too perfect a pop masterpiece -- upbeat, succinct, and wildly catchy -- with the only out-of-place element being Lawrence Hayward's Tom Verlaine-esque vocals. That's not a drawback, though -- the imperfect vocals give the album just the kick it needs to stand apart from the rest of the flock (much like their contemporaries, the Smiths, come to think of it). It may be overstating the case to say that the album laid the groundwork for a lot of pop music that followed, but the sound was certainly influential in certain quarters, and considering the success of some of those followers, the fact that this album wasn't a hit may be all the proof you need of the injustices of the music industry. ~ Sean Carruthers, All Music Guide
'The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories'
Release Date 1/1/1984
Tracks 9
Label Cherry Red
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What The Critics Say
On The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories, Felt finally transforms its oft-mentioned Television influence into the band's own, distinctly English brand of elegant guitar pop. Guitarists Lawrence Hayward and the classically trained Maurice Deebank work against each other in breathtakingly cascading figures while Hayward drapes his deadpan vocal delivery across the shimmering bliss of tracks like "Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow," "Crystal Ball," and "Whirlpool Vision of Shame." This is the pinnacle of Felt's Cherry Red catalog, evolving from the starker stance of the group's first two releases -- Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty and The Splendour of Fear -- to a skewed yet gorgeous pop vision that eludes comparison. Producer John Leckie (XTC, the Stone Roses, the Fall) understands the source of the group's power and highlights the crisp, effects-free guitars chattering incessantly beneath Hayward's poetically charged lyrics. ~ Erik Hage, All Music Guide
'The Splendour of Fear'
Release Date 1/1/1983
Tracks 6
Label Cherry Red
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What The Critics Say
On The Splendour of Fear, Felt still hasn't figured out how to tame all that glorious atmosphere into a distinct vision. The classically trained Maurice Deebank can unravel glistening guitar scales like nobody's business -- and Lawrence's obtuse vocal delivery certainly possesses an uncanny charm -- but this release can be monotonous at times, lapsing too often into meandering guitarscapes. The tone of the album is set on the first track, which opens with an extended dirge-like instrumental that finally gives way to Lawrence's vocals. The eight-minute-plus track "The Stagnant Pool" is a highlight here, simply because it seems purposeful -- with Lawrence's ominous vocals giving way to an emotional, melodic guitar jam that anticipates the later work of the Smiths' Johnny Marr. ~ Erik Hage, All Music Guide
'Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty'
Release Date 1/1/1982
Tracks 6
Label Cherry Red
See Album Tracklist and Review
