Posted on October 3, 2010 - by Mark Zonda

Living and growing with Felt Tips

For all those indie kittens living every day assuming that Stuart Murdoch and Morrissey are the closest thing to God, the arrival of The Felt Tips must have been welcomed somehow as a miracle gift. It’s not really hard laying back and projecting our minds to those melodies listening to tracks like “The One Who Got Away” or the more explicit “Dear Morrissey”, and it’s not surprise at all that the arrival of their first long playing “Living and Growing” is fan most awaited event next to Christmas.

The Felt Tips: what’s the story so far? All started when Miguel Navarro decided to move from Spain to Glasgow holding the dream of starting a band. Funny thing he picked up a 18 months old advert for band members by Mr. Andrew Paterson, succeeding in making his dream come true. After some EP and performances all over Europe, not counting  two successful shows at IndieTracks, Plastilina Records is now proud to release their first album.

While Belle&Sebastian are basically a clever late sixties band that has slowly moved to the seventies, The Felt Tips have their solid ground in a very plain but elegant pop rock holding its sound to never failing jangly guitar riffs in a perfect Johnny Marr style on calm disenchanted melodies hooked on nowadays contemporary lullabies.

“A life more ordinary” opens the album like a real declaration of intents on sounds and lyrics, being de facto more Smithsian than the polemic tribute “Dear Morrissey”. Everything is in the right place for those who digs this kind of music. Precise and puntual drums, a good bass line and an amazing guitar sustains Miguel Navarro in a nice happy sad ballad being the quintessence of indie-pop. This fossil song could not really have been a leftover from “The Smiths” just because it deserves its own place in the cover. Cheerful episodes frequently blends with  Miguel sour point of view on everyday life and the difficulties of creating honest and direct relationship with people, just like in the country flowered “Engaged for a Visa” or the Felt Tip tour guide to Allmighty London “Bought & Sold”.

“Silver Spoon” is possibly the more refined track of the album, with a smooth sound that could have easily made that track quite a hit in some summer of eightysomething.

The bucolic and decadent “Garden of Roses” is one of the few tracks more kin on Stuart Murdock sensibility rather than Moz, while  romanticism is completely killed by a defective condom on “Not Tonight”, possibly not the most convincing lyrics of the album compared with the other inspired songs in it.

“Living and Growing” ends with the charming “Double Bluff”: Felt Tips “Her Majesty” with two lovers competing for some kind of  fairground love. Once again the romantic honesty of the singer is thrown against an unfair World where everything – even feelings – gets unequal and complicated.

“Living and growing” is a mature work  from a band that will fulfil all fan’s expectations and will not fail to conquer so many more devoted listeners. Once again a nice shot by Plastilina Records.

Album will be out November the 15. Seems long but it’s a lot earlier than Christmas!

The Felt Tips – “Garden of Roses” (Excerpt)

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