FELT (Go Kart Mozart, Denim)... Lawrence is amazing!

I prefer if the people I like keep releasing stuff regularly, even if the quality is uneven. Almost everyone who waits 5 years or more between releases has lost the plot and it usually shows.

xxpost He's been mentioning it occasionally in radio interviews and Q&As recently. He said it won't emerge if the new GKM is "a hit".

He's been cagey about exactly what it will entail, but said people will be likely to "reference Felt"

nah i believe in the post novelty rock / reflective album, he was talking about it on monday, he claims he has all the songs written.

i dunno, the bits from the film suggest a denim on ice style opus, more ambitous than the last one, i have high hopes for it & there's mini lp out straight after . i think the lack of activity has to do with other factors than creative aridity.

plus, tearing up the album charts is a bit of a stunner on the quiet, maybe not as much of an jaw dropping experience as wigwam, but in terms of the sharpness of the songs i think it surpasses it. donna and the dope fiends! electric rock and roll! transgressions!

i don't think the likelihood of lawrence creating a great record has anything to do with his grasp on the plot...

"the plot" for him has usually been to create an album with a specific concept, a feel, a unified package with the songs sharing some important common elements, sounds, themes etc. To write songs that complement the specific and unique group of musicians that are brought together to record the album. And to package it accordingly.

The problem with the last album was that it felt like a random collection of songs that collectively had no identity. Packaging was nothing special either.

hmm yeah i dunno i feel like this record promises to be properly odd, uncomfortable, obtuse & a bit like brumburger on a budget, i think the lack or resources kindof forces lawrence in on himself.

in terms of recycling denim take over (which i've never heard!) he has always insisted that he would never waste a song. plus the older songs on the last one were in no way the best. but yeah the overarching concept wasn't there.

Yeah since I was think that out loud, he's gone on the record explaining upcoming releases will be clearing the decks for this particular 'novelty' era, so it kind of makes sense.... Though at the time I was watching the film, it was confusing to see him pretending to record songs which had been recorded in the late 90s.

I wonder where Denim ends and GKM really begins, though. Probably seeing Denim as the 'major label' band and GKM as the 'b-side band'. The Denim take over stuff is definitely closer to Denim On Ice than Novelty Rock or Instant Igloo, though. 'The Sun' sounded very polished (with some new overdubs) on Mark Radcliffe's show the other day. Songwriting-wise, not too removed from a certain kind of Felt pop sound, either.

*thinking

I should wait and hear the new one before getting too judgemental I guess. For artists like Laurence, albums have always been more than just a collection of tracks and since we are now in this post-album world, that again may be a problem with Tearing Up The Album Charts. It's the only one of his albums which I do not own a physical copy of. I've never seen the real cover. I've probably only listened to it straight through once or twice.

Then the run of albums from Back In Denim (1992) to Instant Wigwam and Igloo Mixture (1999) is four proper albums (one double) over 7 years

more like 10 years. back in denim was at least a couple of years in the making before it's final release. not that this changes your point you're making.

I'm so surprised people seem to prefer Instant Wigwam to Tearing Up The Charts. Always thought Wigwam was like a bunch of novelty B-sides with a few proper songs thrown in, kind of exactly like Novelty Rock. We're Selfish Lazy & Greedy, Here is a Song and Mrs. Back to Front are the only songs I really go back to on there. Tearing Up felt more like a real album to me with some of his best songwriting. Glorious Chorus, Listening to Marmalade and City Centre are up there with his best. The only track that seems a bit throwaway is Building Site and that's just too much fun.

plenty of treasure on both albums. i listened to Tearing Up tons when i bought it, but for some reason i do go back to wigwam more often. i think they compliment each other nicely though.

Did you preorder the new album already Scott? Limited signed vinyl copies available.

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/westmidlands-exd.asp?id=3681

Kitchen, you don't like Sailor Boy? I'm not a huge Go Kart Mozart person, but that song is unmatchable

Anyways, I guess there has been talk of him doing a singer-songwriter project forever. It was supposed to be his "Berlin". I guess the story is that in the late nineties Alan McGee wanted to put out a record by him, but only if it was in that mold as opposed to the novelty stuff.

I think it could be really amazing to hear him working in that particular idiom once again, but hoping that it would be more like Poem of the River-era Felt as opposed to some of the serious songs on Denim on Ice eg Don't Bite Too Much Out of the Apple, Myriad of Hoops

has this been posted here? it's so good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_bO-NcuMBw

"two drummers and a couple of sax/ i think he's headed for the cut-price racks"

So this isn't supposed to be out till June 25th but I just noticed Amazon.com are already selling it. Anyone ordered it yet?

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Dog-Streets-Kart-Mozart/dp/B007R2X6LE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1339685465&sr=1-1

Six of the listed songs are on "Denim takes over", you know.

There's some discussion about that upthread ;)

Oops, sorry! I'm recycling like Lawrence :)

xxp eight

ah, I figure after never really repeating himself with Felt he deserves to be cut a bit of slack in his dotage...

The only songs I've heard from Denim Take Over are the title track and the ones that ended up on Tearing Up The Album Chart so to me this is like a whole new album. Wonder if he still plans to release that mini album in a few months too?

I heard it was shelved.

Got my copy (from Amazon) a few days ago. New overdubs (and in some cases new lyrics) and better quality mean the Denim Take Over songs sound a lot more vital here. And the non-DTO songs kick ass too, especially White Stilettos in the Sand, Spunky Axe, and Electrosex. Whoever said upthread that they were expecting this to be more of a Denim on Ice-style epic was right on. It's funny, before I heard it, I was thinking I didn't draw much of a line between GKM and Denim (post-Back in Denim, anyway), but this definitely feels more like a Denim album. Much bigger sound than either of the previous GKM records.

Album of the year

Only played this a couple of times, have to say I'm a bit disappointed. Something about the production that is a little messy in places. I thought this would be Denim On Ice part two but the songs are lacking something. Really hope this is a grower, those first two Denim albums are two of my favourite albums ever.

Ah yeah, those are two of the best albums ever, so I'm not really surprised this isn't quite at their level. But as much as I like the other GKM albums, I'm really appreciating the grandiosity of this one. Can see what you mean about some of the production messiness, but the songs are there imo.

I think after all the waiting I was expecting a bit more from the album. I have no doubt it will grow on me but I'm pretty sure all the Denim and GKM albums were really instant with me. It is really nice to have him back though, can't believe it's been seven years since the last album.

This album is really very good. Early days, but probably my fave of the GKM records (recycled or not!).

Lots of "funny" here, but... as with Sparks, the songs seem just as harrowing as they are humorous (often at the same time).
Like "I Talk With Robot Voice" is funny, but...

That make any sense?

Two thirds through the new CD and it sounds to me like the peak of of GKM and the natural successor to Denim On Ice in terms of sound and songwriting.

What was due to appear on the mini album? If OTHDS uses up all the the remaining Denim Take Over songs, then what's left?

Think the mini album is supposed to have New World in the Morning on it. Not sure what else...more new stuff I guess.

This has grown on me a lot. It's not the masterpiece I was hoping for but I'm getting a lot more out of now. I really think it could do without a lot of those extra vocals especially at the end of The Sun and the shouting in Come On You Lot, it sounds a bit clumsy in places. Some songs and moments sound a bit too similar to those on Denim On Ice especially when the kids choir comes in and he says solo for the solo in one song. I think White Stilettos In The sand and Retro Glancing are my two favourites at the moment but it keeps changing.

Hope the mini album still comes out soon, I think it is supposed to follow three months later but I'll believe it when I see it especially as these were both supposed to be out years ago.

yeah the toasting on the sun is horrid, but the rest of this is a total triumph. total lawrence.

I really wonder what Lawrence's distinction between Denim and GKM is these days. This album sounds like it should say 'Denim' on the cover.

and while there may not be any 'hit singles' on here, I could easily imagine 6Music playlisting 'Retro-Glancing' or 'Electrosex' if they had any taste left

Greetings from Denmark. Great to have Lawrence back with a superb album. He has not lost his grip despite all the hardship he seems to have been through. Personally I prefer the new songs (especially, Electro Sex, White Stilettoes..., Come On... and Retro-Glancing), but it's kind of Lawrence to include the last unreleased Denim Take Over songs for his longtime fans. Anyway, the Denim and GKM songs blend together well (like the 70s and 80s retro aesthetics of the cover), and in this way the album is a perfect way for him to say goodbye to his "mustard" period of the last 20 years (cf. some of the latest interviews) - although I'm not sure I want him to do that, especially not when, as is the case on ...Hot Dog Streets, the material is consistently good (i.e. not silly, grating or anonymous).

Well, so much for my opinion, here's a question I hope someone can help me with: What's Mickie Made the Most about, i.e. who are all those people mentioned? I've been googling some of them, but I'm not sure I've been on the right track.

Actually, any thoughts on the the lyrics of the album and insight into their references would be much appreciated.

Definitely Michael Head of Shack, for one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rak_Records

Mentioned: Mickie Most, Ricky Wilde, RAK Records, Mick Head, Gary Shaw. Wikipedia can tell you who they are but knowing doesn't necessarily help explain what the song is about.

Just another collection of Lawrence icons.

I think it's a bit of a "kids these days" rant. ie. back in our day we had great icons like Mickey Most and Gary Shaw, now the kids just go the club and come back and play FPS games. It's a rewrite of "City of the Dead" from Denim Takes Over which emphasises this theme a bit more.

New interview:

http://thequietus.com/articles/09948-lawrence-interview-felt-go-kart-mozart

it's a good 'un. Lawrence is very open about certain things, other stuff not so much.

"What happened to young Gary Shaw?
Played for the Villa
He don't play for them no more"

Any word on that GKM mini album? There was a now-show 6music session a couple of months back, which was annoying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PWxmU37HU0

Not concerned with fame, huh....

wow never seen that before. hideous shirt, I assume that was 88-89? i wonder if there's any more where that came from.

MOJO reporting on Mozart’s Mini-Mart.

The big track on the record? That would be When You’re Depressed. The lyrics feature the lines, “Never cry, never laugh / Don’t clean your teeth, don’t have a bath / This constant strain, this constant stress / When you’re depressed… you’re depressed.”

“It’s special,” says Lawrence. “One of those career-defining songs.”