Felt: a Timeless Quality 'Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty' album

Felt was is one of the most respected and most unknown bands in indie-pop history. In the 80's, Felt (and his enigmatic leader, Lawrence) planned to release 10 albums and 10 singles in 10 years. Through Cherry Red Records, El Records, and Creation Records, the band from Birmingham succeeded.

Inspired by a Television song, Felt was known for mixing poetry with interesting guitar-driven (and sometimes organ driven) music. In the beginning, the classic guitar work of Maurice Deebank added beauty to their music but Lawrence was always considered the leader. After Creation Records fell apart, the Creation recordings by Felt ("Forever Breathes The Lonely Word", "Poem By The River", etc.) were out of print. Many of these CDs and LPs were being sold on Ebay.com for an absurd amount of money. Lawrence went on to form Denim and then, Go-Kart Mozart. The serious music of Felt was a thing of the past. In 2004, Cherry Red Records are now re-releasing every single Felt album with their original artwork. The first CD in the series is "Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty". Like a mini-album, the CD packet is a delicate folded sleeve with original artwork and an interesting photo inside. In the early days of Felt, their music consisted of elegant, classical guitar work by Maurice Deebank and drowned-out poetic singing by Lawrence. Also, cymbals were not used on these early Felt albums either. Many people thought Velvet Underground's Mo Tucker inspired Gary Ainge's drums. Only 6 songs long, "Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty" is a dark yet beautiful album.

"Evergreen Dazed" is an instrumental track that opens up the CD. The timeless quality of the guitar work is simply beautiful, creating a Sunday morning atmosphere of class and elegance. No drums, no singing, just beautiful guitars.

"Fortune" is a slow, depressing track with drowned out vocals by Lawrence. The female backing vocals (that were on the single) are missing. This unpolished LP version is not as good but there is still a beauty to the track. Lawrence sings, "...And give me no words / There's things to be said / To escape with a fortune / Your blood will be spared / And wisdom is your virtue / I hear them all scream / Led away to their own fates / And I believe in your dreams..." Once again Maurice Deebank's guitar work is elegant. This is not a catchy song at all but after a couple of listens, the deep lyrics and strong guitar melodies stay inside the listener's mind.

"Birdmen" is longer than "Fortune" but has an actual chorus. Lawrence sings: "...How can we guide this day / To become a day when we talk - no more / To become a day when we steal - what's more / To become what we were looking for..." The sadness of the song is precious.

Without a doubt, "Cathedral" is the most beautiful and most memorable song on the album. The pounding drums that eventually turn into an ethereal rolling rhythm complement the jangling guitars. There is a strength in Lawrence's lyrics, especially in the first verse: "...When the choice is mine I hope I make it / When the chance comes by the time is right / Door in the wall I see it open..." The chorus creates a desperate yet passionate atmosphere: "...Does it make you feel alright / in the night / Does it make you feel alright / In the night / Does it make you feel - in the night / Well wishers stand on the hill in the night / Cathedral..." Deebank's classical guitar is magnificently elegant. With midnight gothic quality, the song truly is a classic Felt track.

The surf track, "I Worship The Sun" comes out of left field but maintains the solemn atmosphere of the album. The rolling drums and the surf guitar create an eerie yet cool groove. Lawrence possesses both a sadness and a strength in his lyrics: "...You're trying to tell the folks are the same / You can act like you're changing your name / I'm moving fast it's my legs to blame / You think it's silly but it's such a shame / I know why you're telling it all / You think it's safe to be so unsure / I could tell you things that sound so true / And I could shoot you for your money..." Once again, there is not truly a chorus that repeats but the song does change drastically. It actually slows down to a creeping pace and then picks up again to the usual surf tempo. Although Lawrence has stated that he does not like the mixing of this song, it remains to be one of the most unique Felt tracks that ever existed.

The final track, "Templeroy" is a long, slow track that has some unintelligible vocals towards the end. While there is an eerie and ambient atmosphere created, the song does not have the same strength as the others

"Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty (Felt Re-Issue Series 1)" is a beautiful beginning to the Felt re-issue series. Short and sweet, elegant yet sad, "Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty" has a timeless quality even though it does sound very different (and old) compared to later Felt music. While releasing short albums with only 6 long ambient tracks, Felt was also releasing short singles like "Something Sends Me To Sleep", "My Face Is On Fire", and "Trails Of Color Dissolve". While new Felt fans may find other LPs like "Forever Breathes The Lonely Word", "The Pictorial Jackson Review", or "Ignite The Seven Cannons" to be more accessible, "Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty" is more for die-hard Felt fans that want an introspective look at the band in their early stages. While the title does have a somewhat pretentious feel, the music is beautiful, sad, and powerful. "Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty" is a wonderful beginning to Felt's 10 year / 10 album career.

9 out of 10

Review by Todd E. Jones

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Felt: a Timeless Quality - Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty