Felt - Forever Breathes the Lonely Word [1986]

Felt was the project of Britain's enigmatic Lawrence Hayward, a singer/songwriter who transformed his long-standing obsession with the music of Tom Verlaine and Television into an impressive catalog of minimalist pop gems and, ultimately, cult stardom.



Forever Breathes the Lonely Word [1986]





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.





Tracks:



1 Rain of Crystal Spires 3:54

2 Down But Not Yet Out 3:37

3 September Lady 3:44

4 Grey Streets 3:46

5 All the People I Like Are Those That Are Dead 5:10

6 Gather Up Your Wings and Fly 3:54

7 A Wave Crashed on Rocks 2:51

8 Hours of Darkness Have Changed My Mind 4:46