Fields' Debut Album Review

Fields definitely are not a band lacking in ambition. Formed in a shed somewhere in London a mere 18 months ago, they recently released their assured debut album, Everything Last Winter. Their live shows in early 2006, and a single, Song for the Fields, sparked a bidding war that ended in Atlantic eventually coming out as the victors - though amazingly the deal allows the band to continue releasing records on their own Black Lab Records.Fields, a five piece, are led by Nick Peill, an ex-Primary School teacher who sings and plays guitar, and Þórunn Antonía, an Icelandic keyboardist whose father wrote Iceland’s National Anthem, and who lends her ethereal vocals to many of the tracks on Everything Last Winter. Having honed their skills on the UK gig scene alongside bands such as Wolfmother and Bloc Party they subsequently took to the recording studio, joining producer Michael Beinhorn in Dublin (whose production credits include, amongst others; Mew, Soundgarden and Korn) to produce their dramatic debut.Blending the epic, sweeping stories of Midlake with the fervoured, almost bombastic, sound of the British Sea Power, this is an album with much to offer, both in terms of immediate delivery and plenty of scope for growth. The opener, Song for the Fields, demonstrates their joyous use of vocal harmonies and their driving style, the music opening up out of hushed beginnings to end in sizzling guitars and crying keyboards. It is powerful and melodic with some delightful guitar phrasing which reminds me a lot of The Open. Despite the fact that the opening track is almost six minutes in length, they never seem to run out of ideas, and this is echoed throughout the rest of the album. It is a constant delight to the ears, hearing different themes develop, and the interplay between the different instruments. The keyboards add a layer of texture reminiscent of a Stars album, particularly on Skulls and Flesh and More with the lyrics sharing a similar stark poignancy.It’s not all good news though with middle track The Death a bit too heavy and foreboding to be taken seriously, like a less coherant Hope of the States. The riff is fun though, and a couple of other tracks seem to lack the same thought and passion that has gone into others. However, for a debut this album is solid and assured. I prefer it when they concentrate on the more melodic side of their sound; tracks such as Schoolbooks which perfectly demonstrate the boy-girl vocals and You Brought This On Yourself a more straight forward indie track that embraces shoegazer type guitars and vocals slightly lost in a more murky mix.Saying that though the production is consistently excellent - not too polished, and managing to capture the talents of this band who are by all accounts thrilling to see live. The closing, Parasite, really is their final trick - an acoustic driven, whistful ballad backed by strings which really does leave you wanting more.Check out their website for more info and some free tunes.Fields - If You Fail We All Fail

Add to My Profile | More Videos