The culmination of Lawrence’s ten albums in ten years then split-up manifesto, Me and the Monkey on the Moon might be the most heartfelt record in the perennial outsider’s oeuvre. The opaque lyrical imagery of past Felt releases is here replaced by more openly autobiographical songs. Lawrence is not only looking back at his own life and childhood but also saying goodbye to the band, having resolutely failed in his ambition to become a massive pop star. As such, Me and the Monkey on the Moon is steeped in an autumnal feeling of bittersweet regret. Initial musical foil Maurice Deebank had departed by 1988’s The Pictorial Jackson Review. Instead, keyboardist and future Primal Scream member Martin Duffy lends a rich, sympathetic warmth to these songs with layer upon layer of piano and organ, his retro synthesizer squelches on “Mobile Shack” no doubt planting the seeds for Lawrence’s future novelty pop vehicle Go Kart Mozart. Felt’s swansong and possibly their greatest work.