Felt / Ignite The Seven Cannons
Artist Felt
Album Title: Ignite The Seven Cannons
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Alternative & Punk: Indie
Format Vinyl
Released 00/00/1985
Reissue Date 02/23/2018
Label Cherry Red
Catalog No FLT183
Bar Code No 5 013929 078314 >
Reissue Yes
Remastered Yes
Packaging LP Sleeve
Tracks
A1. My Darkest Light Will Shine (2:55)
A2. The Day The Rain Came Down (2:26)
A3. Scarlet Servants (3:39)
A4. I Don't Know Which Way To Turn (2:46)
A5. Primitive Painters (5:58)
B1. Textile Ranch (2:59)
B2. Black Ship In The Harbour (3:01)
B3. Elegance In D (5:22)
B4. Caspian See (2:03)
B5. Southern State Tapestry (3:11)
Date Acquired 08/20/2018
Personal Rating
Acquired from Import_CDs
Purchase Price 24.00

Web Links

All Music Guide entry:
Discogs entry:

Notes

From Cherry Red:

"Produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins and featuring the skyscraping vocal of Elizabeth Fraser on the mighty Primitive Painters. Felt found themselves at the top of the independent charts. Unhappy with the overall sound though – it was as if some of Lawrence’s best songs were lost in an “ethereal swirl.” John A. Rivers has been given access to the original master tapes and six songs have been remixed. Also – side 2 has been focused, edited and “made symmetrical.” Finally these songs can be heard as intended by Felt. It has become at long last a cohesive whole."

"With these albums Lawrence should at last be able to step up & take his rightful place amongst the high priests of attitude & cool."

Reviews
Review by Tim Sendra:
By the time Felt were ready to record their fourth album, Ignite the Seven Cannons, they had enough momentum that they could convince the Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie to produce. All it took was Lawrence signing a contract stating he would vacate the premises when it came time to mix the record, and the band and producer were ready to work on a set of assured, melodically challenging songs. Lawrence's continued growth as a songwriter and singer is clear right away on a pair of brilliant pop songs that kick off the album. "My Darkest Light Will Shine" is a lovely, melancholy midtempo ballad that features new member Martin Duffy's swirling organ snaking around Maurice Deebank's trademark guitar arpeggios; "The Day the Rain Came Down" is a jangling, uptempo rocker that features background harmonies and Lawrence's best deadpan vocals. Both songs also show what Guthrie was bringing to the mix: lots and lots of reverb and other effects. Not quite enough to drown the songs, but more than many might deem necessary. The rest of the record doesn't let down much; Lawrence's lyrics are heartbreakingly honest, Duffy and Deebank form an unbeatable team, and the rhythm section of bassist Marco Thomas and drummer Gary Ainge keeps things light yet still firmly anchored. It's the biggest-sounding record Felt had done to date, and it contains their biggest single too. "Primitive Painters" is six minutes of post-punk heaven, the one song where the dreaminess of the Cocteau Twins and the spiky glory of Felt truly come together. Lawrence's plaintive pleas are balanced by Elizabeth Fraser's ecstatic wail; Duffy's organ chords swell like the ocean while Deebank drops in occasionally to scorch the speakers with lightning-fast lines. By the end of the song the whole band is locked in and reaching epic heights. As with The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories, instrumentals take a back seat to Lawrence's songs and the couple here are mostly forgettable, though "Southern State Tapestry" ends the record on a pleasantly jangly note. There's just no way that they could compete with songs as wrenching as "Black Ship in the Harbour" or as dramatic as "Caspian See." Despite the sonic murk Guthrie drowns the songs in, they are another strong and emotionally powerful batch. Lawrence is clearly on a creative roll here, and the expanded band is right there with him.
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