FELT
Forever Breathes The Lonely Word/Poem Of The River/The Pictorial Jackson Review/Train Above The City/Me & A Monkey On The Moon (reissues, 1986, ’87, ’88, ’88, ’89) 9/10, 8/10, 8/10, 6/10, 8/10 By 1986, Felt had released five albums in their 10-albums-adecade masterplan, and they’d already realised their first masterpiece, 1985’s lambent pop epic, “Primitive Painters”. But on 1986’s Forever Breathes The Lonely Word, Felt singer Lawrence and his group finally came good on their promise. There are few independent albums from the decade as self-assured, or as sparkling in their beauty as this one – there’s something very Dylanesque about the sound here, and the guitar and organ-playing gives off a glinting-glass radiance. The following year’s Poem Of The River, produced into murk by The Red Krayola’s Mayo Thompson, still features a clutch of great songs, including the drizzly splendour of “Riding On The Equator”. The Pictorial Jackson Review has been edited down to size by Lawrence, and removing the LP’s lengthy instrumental offers a laser-sharp focus on his pop writing (“Apple Boutique” is one of Felt’s finest songs). Train Above The City is cocktail jazz with electric piano, swinging drums and vibes. Me & A Monkey On The Moon fades out the decade with some of Lawrence’s most personal writing. Weird but great, like the man himself. Extras: 6/10. Each CD comes with an extra 7in and contemporaneous ephemera.