release date: Sep. 20, 1985
format: vinyl (2017 remaster - FLT 183) / cd (2003 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Robin Guthrie
label: Cherry Red Records - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "My Darkest Light Will Shine" (4 / 5) - 2. "The Day the Rain Came Down" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Scarlet Servants" (4 / 5) - 4. "I Don't Know Which Way to Turn" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Primitive Painters" (5 / 5) - 6. "Textile Ranch" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Black Ship in the Harbour" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "Elegance of an Only Dream" (4 / 5) - 9. "Serpent Shade" (4 / 5) - 10. "Caspian See" (3 / 5) - 11. "Southern State Tapestry" (3,5 / 5)
4th studio album by Felt introduce Robin Guthrie as producer, which may be heard. It's a sort of transitional album, introducing a new style by the band. It's the last studio release for Cherry Red and the first with new bassist Marco Thomas and keyboardist Martin Duffy, who are partly responsible for a more complex style. Another important change is the role of Robin Guthrie, who has incorporated a more ambient and dream pop feel - not far from the sound of his own project-band Cocteau Twins. This stylistic change gave the album some hard reviews, basically, from people who couldn't see the benefits from Guthrie as belonging to this kind of band, however, I find that the album is one of the band's best, and it features their perhaps most legendary (or: pop-styled) single ever: "Primitive Painters" featuring Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) on vocals. The whole album is cleverly produced with keyboards, guitars, lead vocal and backing vocals nicely sown together, and it's evident that the band has come along way since the sound and style of the first three albums. A familiar thing that is continued from their previous albums is the inclusion of instrumental tracks, which on their previous albums often seemed like strange fragments, or strange pauses, now are strong 'songs' with Duffy's Hammond organ and Deebank's electrical guitars combined, so the missing vocal is no longer a downside at all 'cause compositional complexity through verse and chorus is there.
EDIT 2019: I purchased the 2017 remaster of the album, which has been remixed by songwriter Lawrence and original recording engineer Kevin Metcalfe, and the new sound is quite phenomenal.
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| org. vinyl cover On the back it reads: "and Set Sails for the Sun" | 2018 remastered vinyl issue, Cherry Red |
