8 July 2008 :: Listravahungover.

Track Listing

1. Give It Lose It Take It
2. Sit Tight
3. Tones of Town
4. A House Is Not a Home
5. Kingston
6. Working to Work
7. In Context
8. A Gap Has Appeared
9. Closer at Hand
10. Place Yourself
11. She Can Do What She Wants

Record Review

Field Music

Tones of Town
(Memphis Industries; 2007)

Rating: 81%
Combined Rating: 76%


Field Music's eponymous debut introduced a dangerously lean brand of pop music to the market. Theirs was the sort of angular pop that made the Futureheads and Maximo Park seem flabby and slow by comparison; the sort of thing that would make Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding proud. Two years and one singles compilation later, Field Music has returned with Tones of Town, a sophomore effort that in some ways manages to take the stripped-bare formula one step closer to pop perfection.

Part of Field Music's appeal was that it took quite a few serious listens to really get into it. In the year and a half since I reviewed it, I've been surprised by the number of times I've found myself going back to the disc, searching out those delicate hooks and pristine piano lines. Sure, there are moments from the Futureheads, Super Furry Animals, or the New Pornographers that are more straight-up fun, but I can't think of another pop album from the last two years with more depth and long-term appeal.

Tones of Town is a different beast. First off, Tones is, if anything, even more restrained than its predecessor. The strict, almost mechanical drum lines and angular guitar parts found here seem as well suited to post-punk as pop. There are softer moments -- the pretty little string sections in "A Gap Has Appeared" and "Kingston" are especially notable -- but for the most part bandleader Dave Brewis seems intent on clearing out any possible fat and paring his music down to its essence. You can imagine tracks like "Working to Work" or "Closer at Hand" fleshed out a bit, but really, what's the point? The band has nailed that vocal coda or clever chord progression into your brain, and piling it on any heavier seems almost vulgar.

Tones also seems quite willing to forego cohesion in favor of hooks. Field Music made good sense as a record; Tones simply doesn't have that flow. Instead, this feels almost like a compilation -- an album where nearly any track could function as the single. I've asked a few friends and colleagues what their picks would be, and nearly every track has been mentioned. "In Context" and "A House is Not a Home" are good choices on the part of the band, but I imagine they could have easily gone with "Sit Tight," "She Can Do What She Likes," or the title track. It's an admirable trait (as demonstrated by the first two New Pornographers discs) but at the same time it leaves me a little cold. The second half of the album does come closer to capturing the smooth transitions of Field Music, but overall Tones never has quite the same draw.

Still, it's hard to argue with Tones as a document of eccentric pop genius. Brewis manages to imbue each of the eleven tracks here with a unique flair, some great little hook, or a clever passage: the drums on "Tones of Town," the George Harrison guitar lick on "A House is Not a Home," the piano on "A Gap Has Appeared," the backing vocals on just about every track. "Sit Tight" is all punchy nerves, but then can swerve into that pretty, swooping chorus. On "She Can do What She Wants" the band manages to eke an impressive amount of emotion and beauty out of just a few restrained guitar stabs, a straightforward drumbeat, and a violin.

While Tones is tighter, smaller, and more to-the-point than its predecessor, I'm not fully convinced that it's as good as Field Music. It certainly does represent a step forward, and an interesting one at that, but it does lack some of the loveable charm and cohesion of its predecessor. Nonetheless, there's not a bum track to be found here, which is quite a feat in and of itself. We'll see what we think of it six or nine months down the road, but for now Field Music are setting the bar high for pop music in '07. Peter Hepburn :: 18 January 2007 |