Field Music

http://sickmouthy.com/2012/03/31/field-music-plumb/

Great write-up Nick. It's pretty much my own album of the year so far too, and you do it justice. I've been driven away from the album format by my listening habits of late so it's wonderful to find a band that still believes in the medium enough to create something that can ONLY be heard in one glorious sweep. While not as overwhelming as Measure (which is probably still my favourite, just about), this is more concise, intricate and arguably sublime.

One of the most important British bands of the day. I wish they were more central to the indie discourse.

yeah nice job nick.

it took me a long time to get into this for some reason. i think the weird halting start over the first 3 tracks didn't help. but since it clicked i have liked it more and more with every listen, i think maybe even more than measure now. really amazing stuff. it's my current default listen when i haven't got anything particular in mind to put on.

interesting about the single choices, not surprising necessarily but not what i would've guessed. is this the picture seems like a more obvious single?

Huh this band is perplexing in a good way. Never heard of them. Checked the new album out...interesting, definitely hear the XTC influence, that was the first thing I thought of, like mid period XTC but more prog.....tbh though some of the prog moves are a little corny, or fusion....reminds me of Brand X

But this is cool I think it will grow on me...also appreciate how completely unfashionable it is, like they are completely on their own trip....can't imagine NME is exactly breaking down their door

@sickmouthy Nick, thanks! That's so kind. You've pretty much nailed how I hope people will hear the record. It means a lot so again thanks!
2 hours ago

That was from @fieldmusicmusic, which is the younger brother: very nice to know they appreciated my appreciation!

Liked that review too!

Autumn tour dates on the website.

http://www.field-music.co.uk/

Will try and make it to Bath.

Bath tickets bought.

http://devonrecordclub.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/field-music-plumb-round-27-nicks-choice/

I guess I'm kind of surprised you didn't fall for Tones of Town at the time.

I simply didn't hear it until a couple of months ago. They fell totally off my radar.

That's fair enough, I guess. This band have never seemed like the kind of band who would want to force themselves on anyone's radar. They're just kind of there, waiting for people to discover them.

I decided to give this a go but it's leaving me really cold. There are nice touches here and there but a lot of it is really laboured-sounding, like they've gone for this second-half-of-Abbey-Road vibe (which I'm not crazy about in the first place) but they're not good enough songwriters to pull it off.

Didn't get to see them in Bath last night because of our interminable house problems. Gutted. Listening to Measure as some kind of recompense. It's really very good. I just love the sound they make.

Still haven't got round to "Plumb" yet, though I loved "Measure". Should investigate their back catalogue too. I've heard good things about their covers album as well, I love the song choices.

plumb is very good, almost full-blown prog-pop, which might or might not reflect the selections on their recent covers collection, play. they're reminding me more and more of XTC at their best

Having loved everything prior, I'm finding myself at a loss being able to get into Plumb. I'm not hearing any hooks at all. Measure wasn't as hooky as what came before it either, but it was so (comparatively) muscular and riffy it made up for it.

Oh man, I love Plumb. Everything else is good, but this is next level. Amazing.

plumb is really strange in that it doesn't seem to have any appreciable hooks but when i came back to it after not listening for several months, i immediately remembered every song and how it went

Yeah, every twist of every song is burned right into my cerebellum somehow. I think the way it's arranged and mixed makes for a lot of sonic fills and details which work as hooks. They're oblique hooks, which is, I think, what's made it so eminently replay ale for me - I never, ever feel as if I've burnt out on it or got too familiar with it.

I just learned that Michael McKean is a Field Music fan. Who knew?

("In Context," from Tones of Town, is in the trailer for Christopher Guest's new HBO show, which features McKean.)

New School of Language album is excellent, huge improvement from the debut.

https://soundcloud.com/memphisindustries/field-music-the-noisy-days-are-over-single-version/s-mFgkR

New single. It's awesome. Brass! New album due early next year (Feb) and tour in March.

cool!

was relistening to Measure recently - it's soooo good

Commontime is a really interesting record - so much going on, but in a looser way than on the meticulously edited Plumb. Pretty easily their grooviest album, but with plenty of odd twists as well.

I like these guys groovy. Really looking forward to this based on "Noisy Days."

Really digging Disappointed.

really, really liking this

feels like they've recaptured the spirit of Measure

anyone seem them live? they're coming to town next month .

gf says "seriously very very good, so tight" but that was in 2010

here's the streeeeam http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/feb/01/listen-to-field-music-new-album-pre-prelease-commontime-exclusive-album-stream

I am looking forward to seeing them live in Exeter at last.

Haven't heard this yet, but Tones of Town is the one to beat, for me at least.

love their last few records, excited for this

not ashamed to say it was the Steely Dan reference in the pfork article that made me listen. that said, tones of town is terrific in ways I wasn't expecting

i don't think they sound like steely dan at all! have heard XTC comparisons too which are closer but still not quite on the nose

The opener of the new LP is Steely Dan-tastic, IMO.

listening to this now, and it seems more Steely Dan than XTC, and parts of it are Hall and Oates-ish. XTC aren't this laid back even when they play soft songs.

They were great opening for The Clientele in 2010. As polished as the records.

I hear some high llamas/ b Wilson stuff on tones of town and some 80s aor vibes on the new one.

They really don't seem to be recent recordings and I love that.

ok yeah 'disappointed' is great and i def hear the steely dan in it (also some bowie and hall&oates and phil collins like all their previous records)

their weirdo sense of melody/harmony has always been what sets them apart from their influences though. phrases and chord progressions resolve in unexpected ways or are left hanging, etc etc

I am going to try and leave work early to pick this up from the record emporium. Rock n roll.

This is pretty wonderful. The twists and turns of Plumb, which I know some people found a bit irritating, are shorn off, but the whole thing is much more elongated and groovey. There are the same number number of songs as Plumb, but the album's a good 20 minutes longer.

It definitely follows on from the last School Of Language LP, which was very much in thrall to Prince too.

Also their records just sound absolutely beautiful.

yeah this is a stunner

Looking forward to checking this out.

Q for Britishers -- about how popular would you say they are in the UK? I don't feel like many of my friends here in the US know them.

They're very much a cult act here. They're well known enough to a particular group of people, but they're definitely far from "man on the street" well-known.

I think a lot of rock fans who follow new music are at least aware of them. I saw them in magazines fairly often. I first became aware of them when they supported British Sea Power, they were very good and quite funny. Although I was surprised at how small the audience was at one gig.

I think they are really, really good, but I also wonder what the audience is for them. Here I would guess they would (or do) play best to the aging-hipster-to-boomer set, AAA radio (is that still a thing?), Paste magazine (see prior comment), NPR. But in the best way possible.