(Note: This article was written in 2008 for an old Blogspot music blog that I managed (flyingairplane.blogspot.com); meaning, I was 18 years old when I wrote this. The blog's format was such that each article contained a short “review” of an album and a download link to the full album (usually through Mediafire). Blogspot was a go-to source for obscure music back in 2008, with many blogs like this popping up with download links, and I wanted to be part of the illegal-music-download literati myself. Unfortunately, this blatant violation of copyright eventually caught up with the blog (and most others of its ilk) and got it removed from the Blogspot service entirely; however, the first page of the blog remains archived through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.)
Felt's “Poem of the River” is the follow up album to “Forever Breathes the Lonely Word”. It's pretty, shimmering, and slow... and I mean really slow. Out of the six songs on this album there's not one that instantly catches my attention, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a nice album to play while you're doing other things, very peaceful and soothing... but that's the most I can say about it.
(Note: This article was written in 2008 for an old Blogspot music blog that I managed (flyingairplane.blogspot.com); meaning, I was 18 years old when I wrote this. The blog's format was such that each article contained a short “review” of an album and a download link to the full album (usually through Mediafire). Blogspot was a go-to source for obscure music back in 2008, with many blogs like this popping up with download links, and I wanted to be part of the illegal-music-download literati myself. Unfortunately, this blatant violation of copyright eventually caught up with the blog (and most others of its ilk) and got it removed from the Blogspot service entirely; however, the first page of the blog remains archived through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.)
If you haven't noticed, Felt is one of my favorite bands... that explains why I'm uploading every Felt album (besides The Splendour of Fear, because I bought it off iTunes and can't find it anywhere else.) With that being said... on with the review of The Pictorial Jackson Review. To make it short and sweet, The Pictorial Jackson Review is a great album. I can listen to it all the way through, hum the lyrics, and even occasionally dance along with it while playing air guitar or air keyboard. In my opinion, this album is the definition of a pop album. Lawrence obviously aimed to make a pop album with this one, and since Lawrence is so quirky, he even added two completely instrumental tracks at the end of the album (one being twelve minutes long) just to fuck with our heads. In addition to that, just to add, the guitar in the song Don't Die On My Doorstep* sounds eerily similar to the guitar in the song Centerfold by the J Geils Band, I don't know if anyone else noticed that. In conclusion, The Pictorial Jackson Review is a great poppy record... it's quirky, witty, funny at times, and overall very upbeat (if you ignore the last two tracks, which aren't bad, but they're just not exactly 'upbeat'.) To me, the record records Felt evolving from the music they once made (Strange Idols, Ignite, Forever Breathes, etc.) A Felt fan can probably tell that Lawrence (and the rest of the band, I suppose) tried to take a different approach to song writing this time around, and although it's not altogether perfect, it's still a stellar record. The last two tracks foreshadow what Felt's next album (Trains Above the City) would sound like, and the rest of the album foreshadows what Felt's final album (Me and a Monkey on the Moon) would sound like. Also, Lawrence sings a bit more melodically on this album, making him sound sort of like a young Lou Reed... or an older Lou Reed impersonator.
(Note: This article was written in 2008 for an old Blogspot music blog that I managed (flyingairplane.blogspot.com); meaning, I was 18 years old when I wrote this. The blog's format was such that each article contained a short “review” of an album and a download link to the full album (usually through Mediafire). Blogspot was a go-to source for obscure music back in 2008, with many blogs like this popping up with download links, and I wanted to be part of the illegal-music-download literati myself. Unfortunately, this blatant violation of copyright eventually caught up with the blog (and most others of its ilk) and got it removed from the Blogspot service entirely; however, the first page of the blog remains archived through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.)
I guess Lawrence was just bored, or maybe he was working on other things… but Train Above the City is entirely not composed by Lawrence. I suppose Martin Duffy composed the music, since it seems that Martin Duffy is perhaps the only musician who played on this album. The funny thing is, Lawrence named all of the songs, and brilliantly I might add: Press Softly on the Breaks Holly, Teargardens, Book of Swords, etc. Firstly, the music is mediocre at best. I'm not going to lie and say “best Felt album!” just because Lawrence declared it his favorite in some lo-fi interview. The whole album is instrumental; every song is a little piano ditty that makes you feel like you're in a bar full of old hipsters drinking martinis and what not. Perhaps Lawrence just thought that releasing this album would have been a clever thing to do. I mean, it's obvious that Lawrence was trying to maintain indie stardom… and perhaps “Forever Breathes the Lonely Word” and “The Pictorial Jackson Review” was making Felt a little bit too popular for his liking…
(Note: This article was written in 2008 for an old Blogspot music blog that I managed (flyingairplane.blogspot.com); meaning, I was 18 years old when I wrote this. The blog's format was such that each article contained a short “review” of an album and a download link to the full album (usually through Mediafire). Blogspot was a go-to source for obscure music back in 2008, with many blogs like this popping up with download links, and I wanted to be part of the illegal-music-download literati myself. Unfortunately, this blatant violation of copyright eventually caught up with the blog (and most others of its ilk) and got it removed from the Blogspot service entirely; however, the first page of the blog remains archived through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.)
Here's a rare gem for all you Felt fanatics out there: the Andy Kershaw Sessions from 1986. It features only four songs: When the Dawn Starts Creeping In, Sapphire Mansions, Rain of the Crystal Spires, and All the People I Like Are Those That Are Dead. The only thing that really stands out about this session is the inclusion of the ever-so-elusive song When the Dawn Starts Creeping In. The recording of When the Dawn Starts Creeping In included in this session is probably the only recording you'll be able to find of it on the internet, which really makes this specific session somewhat special to hardcore Felt fans such as myself. Enjoy!
Download Link(yes – my original upload is still up! I guess this was so obscure that it went under the radar of the music police.)
