Sunderland band return after a three year hiatus (that involved various side-projects) with their third album, and their best work to date. Block off an hour and indulge yourself with this tremendous record.
It's a bit hard to figure out Field Music - or at least to figure out why they haven't been more successful. The Sunderland act are the kind of band who are uber-respected by a host of songwriters, critics and musos, yet they haven't particularly enjoyed the same level of success that their scene contemporaries Maximo Park and The Futureheads have, even after two select albums.
Yet the quintet (newly expanded from a trio) are nothing if not ambitious. With twenty songs split over two discs, 'Field Music (Measure)' seems a daunting proposition for those who have never heard the band before, and perhaps isn't the best introduction to the brothers Brewis and co. It sounds like it should be a concept album, but it's not. Contradictions? Yup, 'Field Music (Measure)' is rife with them.
To describe Field Music as 'indie rock' would be to do them a huge disservice, but it's difficult to pigeonhole their sound. Peter and David Brewis are undoubtedly the unsung heroes of the British music scene; their capacity for writing songs that take the most unexpected twists imaginable is huge, yet they're hardly 'experimental', either. 'Field Music (Measure)' sounds like the pair have been listening to a lot of '70s jam-rock and Paul McCartney solo material, yet these songs don't sound hoary or dated. Tracks like 'Them That Do Nothing' and 'Precious Plans' take a folk and harmony-addled approach, but they're offset by the likes of stomping, late '70s US college rock of 'Effortlessly' and the eerie-yet-impossibly-groovy 'Let's Write a Book'.
There's no doubt that twenty songs seems excessive by anyone's standards, but strangely enough, this album would probably feel unfinished if it was discontinued after 10 or 12 tracks. Will it be the album to break Field Music outside the UK and Ireland? Probably not - but it's one that will gain them the utmost admiration from their established fans. Excellent.
