Field Music | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Hailing from Sunderland, England, indie/art rockers Field Music were formed in the early 2000s by siblings Peter and David Brewis. Their colorful and hyper-musical blend of tricky Beach Boys melodies filtered through a post-rock-meets-prog-rock-meets-soft-rock aesthetic has drawn comparisons to the New Pornographers and the Futureheads, but ultimately they sound unique. Their self-titled debut was released in 2005 on Memphis Industries Records, followed by Write Your Own History in 2006 and Tones of Town in 2007. After this burst of activity, the brothers put Field Music on hiatus in order to start "solo" projects (School of Language for David, the Week That Was for Peter), though each brother played on the others albums. The brothers regrouped under the Field Music name in 2010, releasing Field Music (Measure) in early 2010. They didnt wait long before hitting the studio again, the result being 2012s prog rock-influenced Plumb, their fourth full-length outing. To promote it, the brothers also formed a touring edition of Field Music with Kev Dosdale and Ian Black. Once finished with a slate of shows, the brothers Brewis went their semi-separate ways again, with Davids School of Language releasing the 2014 album Old Fears and Peter working with Maximo Parks Paul Smith on an album, Frozen by Sight, that came out the same year. Their break was again short-lived, and in 2015 they released Music for Drifters, the soundtrack to a re-release of director John Griersons landmark 1929 North Sea fishing documentary Drifters. That same year the Brewis brothers joined bassist Blacks group Slug to record their first album, Ripe, and started recording their next Field Music album. Commontime, which drew inspiration from slick 80s pop like Hall & Oates, was released in early 2016 by longtime label Memphis Industries. Following the albums release, the band undertook its first tour of the U.K. in four years, while also taking a short detour to the U.S. They also worked with Warm Digits on the soundtrack for Esther Johnsons Asunder, a documentary that traced World War Is impact on North East England. The two groups, along with Saint Etiennes Bob Stanley, performed the score alongside a string ensemble at a 2017 screening at the Barbican Centre. Peter Brewis also appeared on Warm Digits 2017 album Wireless World, providing vocals on one song. He also appeared on, and helped produce, the Cornshed Sisters 2017 album Honey & Tar. By this time the Brewis brothers were hard at work on the next Field Music album. Recorded at their own studio on the banks of the River Wear, the brothers welcomed contributions from guests Sarah Hayes on flute and piccolo, the Cornshed Sisters Liz Corney on vocals, Pete Fraser on saxophone, Simon Dennis on horns, and the bands usual string quartet of Ed Cross, Jo Montgomery, Chrissie Slater, and Ele Leckie. The resulting album, Open Here, was issued by Memphis Industries in February of 2018. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 11 Title: Field Music Released: 2005-08-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 If Only the Moon Were Up (03:02) 2 Tell Me Keep Me (03:13) 3 Pieces (03:02) 4 Luck Is a Fine Thing (02:18) 5 Shorter Shorter (01:56) 6 Its Not the Only Way to Feel Happy (05:21) 7 17 (02:43) 8 Like When You Meet Someone Else (03:22) 9 You Can Decide (02:15) 10 Got to Get the Nerve (04:03) 11 Got to Write a Letter (03:12) 12 Youre So Pretty... (03:22) |
| Field Music : Allmusic album Review : Field Music are a trio of northern lads who work a rich seam of melodic and angular guitar with indie pop arrangements on their excellent self-titled debut record. For those who enjoy easy comparisions, here are a few: XTC at their most pop, the Beach Boys fed through a post-punk strainer, the New Pornographers with a dimmer switch. Formed by original Futureheads drummer Peter Brewis (and joined by brother David and Andrew Moore), the group shares some of the herky-jerky, harmony-rich feel of the Futureheads but exhibits a much calmer and more melancholy and diverse approach. The 12 tracks feature loads of vocal harmonies, inventive arrangements (harmonicas, glockenspiels, saxophones, falsettos galore), and soaring choruses the likes of which put them ahead of their old mates and at the forefront of this years model of the British Invasion. Indeed, when Field Music are working at their peak, as on the quietly desperate "Got to Get the Nerve," "Like When You Meet Someone Else," the cello-sporting pop gem "Shorter Shorter," and the autumnal "Its Not the Only Way to Feel Happy," they display a feel for dynamics and an unfailingly catchy style of songcraft that their counterparts cant come near. That is enough to make Field Music one of the bands to watch in the mid-2000s, and to make their album one you have to hear if you are dedicated to smart, inventive, and exciting guitar pop. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 11 Title: Write Your Own History Released: 2006-05-01 Tracks: 9 Duration: 25:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Youre Not Supposed To (02:36) 2 In the Kitchen (03:41) 3 Trying to Sit Out (01:48) 4 Breakfast Song (01:38) 5 Feeding the Birds (02:11) 6 Im Tired (02:47) 7 Test Your Reaction (04:08) 8 Alternating Current (03:08) 9 Can You See Anything (03:20) |
| Write Your Own History : Allmusic album Review : Field Musics debut record was one of the more pleasant surprises of 2005. Their brand of smart, sharp, and melody-rich power pop can be about the best kind of music on the planet when done right. To tide over fans smitten by the debut, the band released a collection of B-sides and early songs. Write Your Own History doesnt last long, the nine tracks skittering past in a flash but lingering pleasantly. The vocal harmonies are stunning, the melodies are sunshine on a cloudy day, and the arrangements are precise and clean. Obviously the band doesnt waste songs; their B-sides are as good as anything on the album. In case you were wondering where the songs come from -- "Youre Not Supposed To" is a 2006 single, "Breakfast Song" and the gloriously lush "Trying to Sit Out" are taken from the April 2005 Shorter Shorter single, and "In the Kitchen" and "Feeding the Birds" are from July 2005s You Can Decide. The older tracks on the disc come from earlier incarnations of the group. "Im Tired," "Test Your Reaction," and "Alternating Current" were recorded in 2002 by Electronic Eye Machine and "Can You See Anything" in 2000 by the New Tellers. Or maybe it is the other way around. You can check the cover for the confusing details, or you can forget the details and just listen to the great songs. In many cases such an early vault-clearing would seem like a desperate move of a band out of ideas; this record feels more like a band celebrating its past as it readies for a great leap forward -- plus, their pals in Maxïmo Park did it, so why cant they? No matter what the reason, the disc is a welcome addition to the bands small but hugely impressive catalog. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 11 Title: Tones of Town Released: 2007-01-20 Tracks: 11 Duration: 31:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Give It Lose It Take It (03:56) 2 Sit Tight (03:01) 3 Tones of Town (03:05) 4 A House Is Not a Home (02:36) 5 Kingston (01:53) 6 Working to Work (02:51) 7 In Context (03:37) 8 A Gap Has Appeared (02:00) 9 Closer at Hand (02:29) 10 Place Yourself (03:01) 11 She Can Do What She Wants (03:06) |
| Tones of Town : Allmusic album Review : Theres no hint of a sophomore slump on Field Musics second record, Tones of Town. Maybe the record is less of a thrill because the initial surprise of discovering a new band as melodically rich, inventive and effortlessly hooky as they are has worn off. Now you can be surprised they not only didnt blow it completely, but they pulled off the rare feat of making a more interesting and satisfying follow-up to a classic debut. Less thrilling, perhaps, but more filling. Indeed, the songs are filled with more layers of emotion, arranged more brilliantly and played with even more precision and warmth. Its a less angular sounding album with softer edges and a fuller sound. Softer, but not complacent in any way as the band adds enough left-field sonic trickery (glitchy electronic effects, MOR strings) to keep things very interesting. They also play with a tightly controlled strength that makes the rare moments that they do let loose (like on the chorus of "In Context") seem even more fiery. This is a record made by craftsmen who know exactly what they are doing; theres not a wasted note, stray emotion or duff moment to be found, and the songs (like "A House Is Not a Home," "Working to Work," "Closer at Hand" and "She Can Do What She Wants") are examples of pop music at its best; smart, catchy, bright and full of passion. Tones of Town cements Field Musics place as one of the best pop bands of any kind operating in 2007. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 11 Title: Field Music (Measure) Released: 2010-02-15 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:11:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 In the Mirror (04:07) 2 Them That Do Nothing (03:08) 3 Each Time Is a New Time (03:23) 4 Measure (02:58) 5 Effortlessly (03:55) 6 Clear Water (03:16) 7 Lights Up (03:57) 8 All Youd Ever Need to Say (02:36) 9 Lets Write a Book (03:40) 10 You and I (03:15) 1 The Rest Is Noise (03:31) 2 Curves of the Needle (03:51) 3 Choosing Numbers (02:02) 4 The Wheels Are in Place (02:55) 5 First Come the Wish (02:28) 6 Precious Plans (02:50) 7 See You Later (02:34) 8 Something Familiar (03:45) 9 Share the Words (03:48) 10 Its About Time (09:49) |
| Field Music (Measure) : Allmusic album Review : A lot happened to Field Music between the release of 2007’s Tones of Town and 2010’s Field Music (Measure). Most importantly, the brothers Brewis (David and Peter) decided to put the band on hiatus and start working on their own projects, the School of Language for David, The Week That Was for Peter. Both groups released excellent albums that had all the hallmarks of the Field Music sound (brainy arrangements, crisp playing, excellent songs) but were also slightly different from each other. The School of Language took an artier, more experimental approach, while the Week That Was made big, shiny pop music. In 2009, the brothers decided to regroup and start releasing music as Field Music again. The resulting double-album-length Measure is a seamless blend of the two brother’s styles that will thrill fans of the group’s previous work. Basically, the album sounds like it picks up exactly where Tones of Town left off, only the group sounds more confident and assured. The arrangements are more precise (which didn’t seem possible), the vocal harmonies are richer, and the quality of the songs is so high that it’s almost a problem. On most good albums, the handful of memorable songs jump out at you right away, here there are so many songs at the same high level that they start to wash over you after awhile. The band could have broken Measure into two excellent records instead of one super-long, super-good album. That being said, there is enough variation from song to song to keep listeners engaged; plenty of thoughtful, almost heavy ballads to balance the jumpy, uptempo tracks, lots of different instrumentation in the arrangements, and an assortment of moods from quiet melancholy to slightly louder melancholy. The only thing that’s changed for the band here is the classic rock feel that runs throughout the album and pops up where you least expect it. Moments like the blues-rock riffs and wah-wah guitar on "Each Time Is a New Time," the jammy section of "All You’d Ever Need to Say" that sounds like the quiet part of an Allman Brothers workout, and the dueling guitars on the coda of "The Rest Is Noise" show that the band is widening the scope just a little and doing it with their perfectly balanced and measured style. Otherwise, it’s business as usual for the Brewis brothers and Field Music, and that’s good news for all their loyal customers, and for fans of smart and melodic guitar pop music. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 11 Title: Lets Write A Book Released: 2010-06-07 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Lets Write a Book (03:43) 2 Dont Pass Me By (04:09) 3 Terrapin (02:41) 4 If Only The Moon Were Up (Live) (03:10) |
 | Album: 6 of 11 Title: Plumb Released: 2012-02-13 Tracks: 15 Duration: 35:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Start the Day Right (02:18) 2 Its Okay to Change (00:58) 3 Sorry Again, Mate (02:08) 4 A New Town (03:58) 5 Choosing Sides (03:12) 6 A Prelude to Pilgrim Street (01:48) 7 Guillotine (03:12) 8 Wholl Pay the Bills? (02:20) 9 So Long Then (02:06) 10 Is This the Picture? (02:41) 11 From Hide and Seek to Heartache (02:49) 12 How Many More Times? (00:40) 13 Ce soir (01:13) 14 Just Like Everyone Else (03:00) 15 (I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing (03:16) |
| Plumb : Allmusic album Review : Field Musics fourth album is their most precise, most musicianly, most progressive album to date. Plumb is the sound of the Brewis brothers refining and perfecting their sound, breaking it down to key elements and keeping a tight rein on the individual songs and the album as a whole. Unlike Field Music (Measure), which seemed to last forever, Plumb rushes by quickly in a whirl of quirky (in a good way) arrangements and stirring performances. This time out, the brothers embrace the prog rock elements that have always lurked around the edges of their sound and have brought them out into the light. Along with the usual Beatles/XTC chamber pop that comes through in the big, hooky choruses and the chiming guitars, there are moments that sound like classic Yes or early Genesis, to name a couple. You can hear it overall in way the guitars coil around each other, in the tricky vocal harmonies and weighty-feeling lyrics, and in the interestingly weird combinations of instruments. There are flashes of pure prog too, like the squiggly bass of "Wholl Pay the Bills" and heavy synth rumble on "Choosing Sides." The prog they incorporate into their structure isnt the overly difficult kind, or the kind that appeals to musos or Tolkien devotees, instead its the kind of prog rock with hooks and swagger (think "Roundabout") that youd hear on AOR stations in the 70s. When done right, like on Plumb, this combination of pop and prog works like a perfectly constructed musical machine and here it results in what is probably the duos most immediately satisfying album yet. The shifting dynamics within each song, and from song to song, keep you riveted throughout and the quality of songcraft has never been higher. Add to that the incredibly strong one-two punch of "Just Like Everyone Else" and "(I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing" that ends the album in a soaring, heartbursting moment of pop brilliance, and youve got a record that stands out as a highlight in an already very impressive and inspiring career. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 11 Title: BBC Radio 3 Late Junction Session Released: 2012-07-15 Tracks: 4 Duration: 19:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Elements of the Sun (07:58) 2 Travelodge Blues (03:07) 3 Snow Watch (03:20) 4 Higgs (04:49) |
 | Album: 8 of 11 Title: Field Music Play... Released: 2012-10-01 Tracks: 8 Duration: 30:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Terrapin (02:40) 2 Born Again Cretin (03:21) 3 Heart (03:42) 4 If There Is Something (04:38) 5 Suzanne (04:03) 6 Dont Pass Me By (04:07) 7 Fear Is a Mans Best Friend (03:48) 8 Rent (04:19) |
 | Album: 9 of 11 Title: Music for Drifters Released: 2015-07-24 Tracks: 20 Duration: 39:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Introduction (00:45) 2 Village (02:37) 3 Engine (00:45) 4 Out of the Harbour (00:44) 5 Headland (01:33) 6 "The Log-Line Tells the Miles" (00:50) 7 Casting Out, Pt. 1 (00:40) 8 Down Below (01:25) 9 Casting Out, Pts. 2 and 3 (03:54) 10 Night-Time (00:42) 11 Destroyers of the Deep (02:57) 12 Dawn Breaks (01:26) 13 Wake Up (00:55) 14 Hauling (02:40) 15 The Storm Gathers (03:56) 16 Full Speed (00:32) 17 Batten Down (03:32) 18 The Ships Ride Through / Quayside, Pt. 1 (02:25) 19 Quayside, Pt. 2 (04:54) 20 Ends of the Earth (01:42) |
 | Album: 10 of 11 Title: Commontime Released: 2016-02-05 Tracks: 14 Duration: 57:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Noisy Days Are Over (06:27) 2 Disappointed (03:04) 3 But Not for You (03:48) 4 I’m Glad (03:44) 5 Don’t You Want to Know What’s Wrong? (03:17) 6 How Should I Know If You’ve Changed? (02:56) 7 Trouble at the Lights (05:33) 8 They Want You to Remember (03:42) 9 It’s a Good Thing (04:25) 10 The Morning Is Waiting (03:55) 11 Indeed It Is (03:15) 12 Thats Close Enough for Now (03:26) 13 Same Name (05:45) 14 Stay Awake (04:06) |
| Commontime : Allmusic album Review : The Brewis brothers just cant help themselves. Despite all the solo and collaborative projects they work on separately, but mostly together, they always come back to Field Music. In the years since their last album, 2012s Plumb, David and Peter have stayed very busy as usual and along they way picked up a few new elements to add to Field Musics already wide range of ingredients. To go along with the blatantly prog elements brought to the fore on Plumb, on their 2016 album Commontime some very poppy stuff has been added. It seems the brothers have done a deep dive into the works of Hall & Oates and Phil Collins, leading to some of the catchiest Field Music tracks to date. The album kicks off with the super funky, horn-driven "The Noisy Days Are Over," segues into the very H&O-sounding "Disappointed," and then into the loping ballad "But Not for You," which features some stately grand piano and a soaring bridge. These three songs set the mood perfectly, bringing in slick pop sounds while folding them into the sound theyve established over a long, brilliant run of recordings. The rest of Commontime is also very 80s pop-influenced, with all sorts of odd sonic tricks and smart musical bits added in to keep things weird while the drums lead the charge as usual. The brothers remain masters of arranging and choosing exactly the right instrument for each part of each song. Tracks like the rambling prog rock epic "Trouble at the Lights" show how well they can stretch out and do some serious sonic exploration, while the relatively sparse, Steely Dan-funky "Its a Good Thing" is proof that they dont need to lay it on thick to create something masterful. That song also does impressive things with the vocals, chopping and mixing them into a brightly shimmering brew, and featuring female singers for the first time. The entire album is full of the kind of brainy, hooky songs the brothers have made their staple, with just enough alteration and innovation to make it stand out from Plumb and the recordings that came before. The addition of simple pop elements to Commontime and the fact that the Brewis brothers manage to keep cranking out music this intelligent and flat-out fun to listen to without ever having the slightest dip in quality, makes it one of their more interesting and rewarding efforts in a long career fully stocked with each. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 11 Title: Open Here Released: 2018-02-02 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Time in Joy (06:19) 2 Count It Up (03:42) 3 Front of House (01:45) 4 Share a Pillow (02:54) 5 Open Here (02:19) 6 Goodbye to the Country (02:27) 7 Checking on a Message (03:21) 8 No King No Princess (03:40) 9 Cameraman (03:42) 10 Daylight Saving (03:38) 11 Find a Way to Keep Me (05:31) |
| Open Here : Allmusic album Review : In their long career, Field Musics David and Peter Brewis have never put a foot wrong. Their albums have been brilliant chamber pop from start to finish, full of complicated chords, tricky playing, and sneakily emotional lyrics. Released in 2016, Commontime added something new to their long-established formula: cute 80s pop flourishes that made it their easiest album to dance and/or swoon to. Arriving in 2018, Open Here goes further in incorporating poppy sounds while filling the arrangements with even more flutes, strings, and horns than have been heard on a Field Music album. The brothers still have the unerring knack for crafting smart and snappy pop songs that have more twists and turns than a mountain highway and sound clearer than a fresh spring running down the side of that mountain. Working with friends and colleagues in their home studio, the brothers Brewis have never sounded quite as relaxed, or gotten quite as political. The stop-start synth pop song "Count It Up" details all the advantages middle-class white guys have had -- and continue to exploit -- while sounding like Art of Noise on a holiday with Sparks. Elsewhere, the brothers knock out herky-jerk rockers ("Share a Pillow") that have some serious strut and honking horn sections; string-softened ballads (the title track) that show their prowess as arrangers; and soft rock grooves ("Daylight Saving") that never sink into stasis thanks to the powerhouse drumming (another Field Music trademark that is in full force on Open Here). The rest of the albums songs meet the exceedingly high Field Music standards of melody and wit, while coming off as both more condensed (thanks to the razor-sharp hooks) and more expansive (thanks to the guest vocals, extra horns, and rich arrangements). Its the kind of album where, as one song ends, the anticipation for what the next song may bring grows and grows. Its rare for a band so far into its career to make an album that can still surprise listeners as the group gleefully makes its way from beginning to end. Field Music are masters of that neat trick, and Open Here is no exception. It stands with their best work -- some songs would no doubt end up on a greatest-hits collection -- and in that regard is some of the best pop music anyone could hope to hear in 2018 or any time after. | ||