Felt

Formed in the English town of Water Orton in 1979, Felt diverged from the abrasive nature of UK post-punk with a sound that favored jangly guitars, melodic songcraft, and winsome lyrics. With single-named frontman and songwriter Lawrence at the helm, the band soon formed allegiances with fellow ‘80s mavericks like Cocteau Twins, whose singer Elizabeth Fraser guested on Felt’s spellbinding 1985 single “Primitive Painters,” and Alan McGee, who signed them to his then-new label Creation. On 1986’s richly textured Forever Breathes the Lonely Word and 1989’s Me and a Monkey On the Moon, Lawrence’s personal vision of pop incorporated Television’s twin-guitar interplay, Bob Dylan-style wordplay, and arrangements and harmonies that evoked The Beach Boys and The Byrds, thereby creating a pathway for future indie-pop acts like Belle and Sebastian. Lawrence proved how enigmatic he could be when he announced the band’s split in 1989, claiming that it was always his intention for Felt to release 10 singles and 10 albums in 10 years. Lawrence’s idiosyncrasies continued to flourish in his next bands, Denim and Go-Kart Mozart.