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February 03, 2006

Geniuses, vol. 1: FELT

One of my all-time favorite bands is FELT. Between 1981 and 1989, they released a string of unbelievable singles and albums--ten EPs and ten albums in ten years, a strategic plan from the beginning, according to the band's eccentric leader Lawrence--some of which are pictured below.

Felt gained a smidgeon of awareness in the US when MTV's "120 Minutes" played their video for "Primitive Painters," a song that featured the godlike Elizabeth Fraser on vocals and was produced by the equally godlike Robin Guthrie. Other than that, they've basically existed as a cult group over here.

When Felt started, they were primarily Lawrence and the amazing classically trained guitarist Maurice Deebank, who left after a few years. Their early music is mostly jangly, sparkly guitar pop with sarcastic and remote lyrics, sung like an updated Lou Reed or Tom Verlaine or Dylan, with fascinations for sixties culture (ie, "Penelope Tree"; their cover of the Beach Boys' "Be Still"). They later recorded stuff like Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death (ten gorgeous, way-too-short instrumentals) and Train Above the City (a record with only vibes and piano and brushed snaredrum, and no appearance of Lawrence at all, although he later said it was his favorite Felt record). When Felt split, Lawrence went on to form the goofy 70s throwback band Denim and equally strange Go-Kart Mozart, and their excellent keyboardist Martin Duffy joined Primal Scream.

It's hard to imagine where certain contemporary bands would be without them-- bands like The Pastels and The Aluminum Group and especially Belle & Sebastian (who even wrote about Felt in the liner notes of their Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant album).

(Above: an old photo of the band--seems they were never very keen on posing for cameras--and a more current one of Lawrence.) Oh, and here's a pretty cool Felt tribute site.

And oh yeah, the titles of their albums and songs are often tiny strokes of genius. Recurring themes are (a) gauzy or sparkly things, and (b) death. Some of my favorites: I Will Die With My Head In Flames; Stained-Glass Windows In the Sky; All The People I Like Are Those That Are Dead; Dismantled King Is Off the Throne; The World Is As Soft As Lace; Trails of Colour Dissolve; Don't Die On My Doorstep; Rain of Crystal Spires.

If you haven't heard Felt, I suggest going to iTunes or somewhere and checking out a song like "Fortune" or "Primitive Painters." I'd love to know what you think.