What does it sound like?:
Tweeted by Prince (and what could be a greater statement of worth?), this is the 7th album by the artful pop maestros, showing Sunderland remains a centre of remarkable creativity. All those clever oblique pop artists you like; Talking Heads, XTC, Bowie, Ben Folds, Kate Bush, Beach Boys, proper (pre 1977) 10cc, Prince, Todd Rundgren when he wants to play to his strengths … some say they can hear Steely Dan (I don’t hear it, myself) and Pink Floyd (again, “maybe”, or maybe NOT). Beautifully played, composed, and recorded, this is ostensibly a song cycle about life after WW1, but to my ears doesn’t sound like it, maybe as the music is so contemporary. I hear a pile of corking, interesting songs with oblique musical bridges and directions. An gallant song about gender differences here, the 1919 Treaty of Versailles there, air traffic control … this is not “Whitesnake”. I’ve probably listened to it half a dozen times and am still trying to work out how such accessible music slips through given the twists and turns.
What does it all *mean*?
“Record collection rock” has been a working strategy for a number of bands; Oasis and Primal Scream are pretty much nothing more than their influences (OOAA), and that’s not necessarily a bad thing: if the originals are not around, new combinations of the working tropes are going to be tried, and some of them will still amuse and entertain. This is a Quietus-type band, so perhaps this is what “the kids” are listening to. If so, I am very pleased to hear it, as the tradition of decent arty pop-rock is what made British music what it is. I really hope these folks do well out of this album. I will be going to their gig in Nottingham in February. It’s nice to like a new band.
Goes well with…
Cooking, marking, last minute panic with the Inland revenue spreadsheet…
Release Date:
Out now!
Might suit people who like…
See above; XTC, earlier 10cc, PreFab Sprout, Beach Boys, later Beatles, Kate Bush, Ben Folds, clever art-pop/rock with tunes.
A week on, I have held off writing about it here as it is a bit concept-y. Not in a capes and wizzard’s hats way, but in a song-cycle-with-segues way. Not as accessible as their run from Field Music (Measure), through Plumb, Commontime, to Open Here. They’ve always done more overtly arty film soundtracks and stuff, but not under the FM banner. This is probably not the one for the curious to start with.
I will also be at the Nottingham gig, having missed them in Norwich last year due to illness, along with my recording partner in crime. As will a couple of other AWers.
Bummer: just realised I’m off to see The Rezillos that night.
Field Music have been around for 15 years so hardly a new band and ‘the kids?’ – surely nobody under 40 reads the Quietus apart from people in bands ? Anyway they’re excellent live, enjoy the gig – I may have been one to compare them to Steely Dan – I mean that as more of the cut of their jib rather than musically – if you see them live that will make sense.
Yeah, it suprised me to see Measure came out in 2010, but I remember playing it in my previous house and I’ve been here for 9 years, and that was their third album. Doesn’t time fly?
I’ve attempted to see them twice before, even tried to book them, but they didn’t tour for years (they were skint and the costs from Sunderland to Cambridge for a one-off gig were too high) and I was too ill to travel to gigs until a couple of years ago. Each time I had tickets but had man-flu on the day, so I’m hoping for third time lucky.
I really liked the Nottingham Rescue Rooms when I was there for ACR in December, gigs there end at 10pm for the club night to follow, and it’s a 90 min* drive home to Cambridge so I can be tucked up in bed before I turn into a pumpkin.
(*) plus time spent getting lost round the Nottingham one-way system.
Should that be “turn back into a pumpkin”? Were you a different type of vegetable whilst attending the Nottingham gig? How long has this shape-shifting been happening to you Mr Steve? How would I recognise you if we met, and you were, say, temporarily in the form of a Brussels Sprout? Would you run screaming from the room if I brandished some olive oil and finely diced rashers of smoked bacon? How does a butternut squash, let alone a simple pumpkin, manage to operate a voltmeter? Your post has truly alarmed me, Sir.
I have Crohn’s, and people with IBD are rarely fat. I’m more of a string bean.
I saw them live just under two years ago at the Octogon in Sheffield. They were excellent, I was rather impressed that they mingled readily with the fans & manned their own merchandise concession.
I do get the Steely Dan references, certainly not at that level technically but a similar sensibility.
I try so hard to like them. I listen to them. I play them on my radio show. They tick all the boxes. Creative, interesting, musical etc. But no catchy tunes and no humour for me. So sorry…