The Field Mice: Cl*ss*c Or D*d

the another sunny day album is very good too. some kind of side project thingy.

do they bug me? no, not really, but then that might be due to my tight black sweater and sensitive haircut. no journal, though...

His writing tended to have that effect on me.

stalker pop haha... it´s true

blueboy and heavenly were certainly better bands on paper, but wratten's honest and personal approach to songwriting lifted the field mice above themselves.

i can understand why people would hate the band - not everyone wants to subject themselves to that level of emotional involvement. there are some songs, particularly "and before the first kiss", that i simply cannot listen to, for fear of being caught up in the emotional turmoil.

conversely, on the occasions when the tone is more upbeat the results are as uplifting as anything this side of the theme from shaft. "coach station reunion" makes me happy, and that in itself is enough to makes me declare the field mice CLASSIC.

I don't know Butterfly Child at all, but... since it's often me doing the comparing, I'll tell you why:

1) it is based on TBS's live shows, rather than their recorded output. Their recorded output is slightly less twee and more listenable except for the fact of

2) Commonality of "I didn't need to know that..." aspect of far too much lyrical sharing. Bob Wratten does it on a far more raw and (to me) unlistenable level, while the B&Sers tend to wrap it in layers of irony and sarcasm. But still.

Far prefer the Field Mice to the TBS, BTW.

I suppose it's more that I can only take a bit of them at a time, so I generally lock on the few songs that seem strong enough to transcend the often overbearing vocal treatment. I also don't think much of their Human League-esque electronic things although they're listenable.

"Emma's House" does sort of seem sui generis though, I could easily see someone liking that song and that song only. That person might be me, eventually.

Overall F.M. strike me as a WRONG reaction to music currents of the late '80s. Or at leasta profoundly reactionary one, sort of a dead end. That doesn't mean it didn't produce some good music.

David: yeah, that's a great line. It reminds me of driving around my home town or college town... physically everything is the same but emotionally all there are, are ghosts and memories. I think it's that sense of transience that makes the song stirring. Although I mostly like it because it's a very concise and self-confident pop song, sort of summarizes the (modest) virtues of the genre without being beholden to them.

Also "Emma's House" is one of the few F.M. songs that allows the emotions to emerge from the scenario, rather than detailing the emotions in deadening clinical terms or obvious metaphors.

how much FM have you actually heard? because i don't think you have any idea what you're talking about.

Way to be diplomatic, Jim.

I suppose one problem I have with FM is how determinedly not-shouty it is, or rather how simpleminded is their solution to that perceived problem.

By "FM" I mean Field Mice, without exception. I've never heard them on the radio!

I wonder how this thread would've progressed if the confusion continued...??

is it fair to say that the FMs were one of the 'indie-dance' pioneers? and if so is this something to be proud of?

well what i'm getting at is that i think they pre-dated all that Madchester/"indie dance" nonsense (back when "indie dance" wasn't really dance at all)

I've been listening to these guys a lot again lately, and the notion occurred to me that they remain sort of one of the last great undiscovered bands. Like, there's no reason more people shouldn't know of them or love them, fans of other acts like B&S or the Smiths or New Order or whatever, but I'm under the impression they're less known than even a band like the Go-Betweens. Did they ever get much traction at the time? Am I completely misinformed, and in fact the Field Mice are wildly popular/well-known?

And, wow, are those Sub Pop TBS albums really out of print?

At the time, the Field Mice were the most high profile Sarah Records band - but that's not saying much - but the music papers were generally negative about them, with the exception of two or three journalists per paper (Bob Stanley, Dave Simpson, Everett True, Ian Watson). They were known about, but rarely heard except on John Peel's show. So..hope that answers your question, at least from a British viewpoint.

for a very small group of people - mainly in England but I knew some people in Cambridge/Somerville who were head over heels about Sarah records & the Field Mice in particular - they loomed very large. That TBS Sub Pop album is a high point to my ears, the songwriting on it is top shelf. I mean they basically do the one thing, imo, whether it's the Field Mice or TBS, but when it's on and that's what you need, it's pretty perfect.

Cambridge/Somerville

I wonder if we're thinking of the same people!

This is my fave thing he's ever done (which may be yours, too!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCPbr8iLXE8:

that is indeed one of the all-time jams imo

i wonder how many people in the world would list "when morning comes to town" as their favorite song. 20,000? less? i wouldn't be a part of this group but i can definitely sympathize with their viewpoint. i love this sarah records stuff.

It might not be my favorite song but it's my favorite Field Mice-song with some margin, probably followed by Emma's House or "This Love is not Wrong. These are top, top tunes.

as someone with an almost pathological dislike of anything indie or twee, i always assumed the field mice would be the nadir of that genre. "emma's house" ticks almost every single box of things i dislike in music yet i have been unable to stop listening to it recently. "triangle" is great too. i'm almost afraid to listen to any more in case my entire belief system inplodes.

implodes.

Someone buy the Sarah catalog and reissue it already.

Are the LTM reissues from 10 years ago out of print?

love the field mice! i have two copies of that complete two cd thing. just in case!

quite a few sarah things have been popping up digitally in recent days, the orchids and blueboy singles among them

Wratton/the Field Mice are pretty special. I can totally conceive of a person liking them and still thinking indie was, otherwise, no damn good.

Finally bit the bullet and bought The Field Mice catalog on vinyl since I'm weary of them every reissuing them on vinyl (now would be the time since the documentary is out). I have an extra copy of Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way up for grabs if anybody wants to trade. In search of Alaska or any of the singles from Northern Picture Library on vinyl.

Didn't see Gerald's response to my reissue cry 4 months ago, but yeah, bought the LTM reissues for Field Mice and NPL, but I want them on all vinyl. The Sarah Records story is pretty interesting and the original vinyl artifacts are cool to have.

Loving this Field Mice related record
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2YM217Bhf4

It is indeed a fine album. Probably my most played of 2020.

Huh, I don't know these guys. So they have some connection to Trembling Blue Stars?

https://www.discogs.com/artist/3798108-The-Luxembourg-Signal

bobby wratten stole the show on their second album. this might as well be a field mice song from the vaults:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUV_Ciq2nsI

("fall feeling")

Related, this is interesting:

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2022/01/twee-fashion-indie-music-industry-sarah-records

skimmed. nothing revelatory to me, but cool piece nonetheless.

thanks for sharing, btw. good stuff.

New Twilight Hour LP called 'Overwintering' coming soon

wonderful news! i deleted my instagram and that was my source for updates on them, so thank you for posting! definitely been on my wish list for some time.

i also posted it on the trembling blue stars thread, but here's bobby's ambient cassette-only thing (released under the liath name) from 2017: quiet actions.

this is the most head-over-heels-in-love first listen I've had for any band in a long time, what the fuck

did you start listening to them because of the mouse murder thread, as an act of solidarity

No results found for "the killing field mice".

"Emma's House" over and over

Also "White"

"the killing field mice" omg

someone I'm pals with on RYM made a list of essential tweepop and put their big 1998 compilation on it. The first half of Disc 1 is amazing

they are wonderful. so are trembling blue stars, I think some of the songwriting there hits new heights for him but there's something special about the field mice

LJ may I recommend the twee Coil stylings of "Humblebee" (IIRC not on that comp)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVNWnn67X8c

Thanks, will try shortly!

I liked Disc 2 almost even more than Disc 1 in the end, there's some fantastic stuff buried deep within it. Always runs the risk of getting stuck in a sort of corny trance but there's so much lovely work throughout. The bassist is a hero

They are synonymous with twee in many circles, but there is so much more to them than that.

Absolutely. There's some serious (and highly varied) pastoral evocation going on here

holland street is a dazzling instrumental

i adore "missing the moon" but i've never really dug into them beyond that

“letting go” is really gorgeous and dreamy too, I don’t think it’s on the Shinkansen comp.

"Other Galaxies" is pretty epic by their standards, and only shows up on a Waaah! comp if I recall. They also recorded a version of Loop's "Burning Sky" for a Waaah! flexidisc. There could be an amazing collection of experimental stuff by The Field Mice in which the word "twee" dare not be spoken.

only field mice I own is For Keeps and it has such an inventive and surprising mix of styles, much more than I expected from their twee rep

I'm not super familiar with the Field Mice catalog but "Fabulous Friend" sounds like it came straight off of R.E.M.'s Reckoning, which is a very good thing in my book.

Too many people here need to explore more it seems

this song from a Peel Session is so good, v New Orderish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_27IUnBk1o

holland street is a dazzling instrumental

― brimstead, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:22 (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

this one absolutely leapt out at me yeah

Humblebee was lovely ty!

ditto Anoint

"Below The Stars" has a lovely Lazer Guided Melodies vibe. More of this sort of thing please!

Another obscure good one, originally given away on vinyl with Bob Stanley’s old Caff zine. Goes for a small fortune nowadays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYsMIDKeMCI