Time to prove their status

The Sunderland-based trio called Field Music achieved true international recognition not long ago. One can say they managed to grab their spot in the premier indie rock league after the release of Field Music (Measure), followed by a massive and impressive concert streak. Luckily, that record proved to last more than seventy minutes, which gave the relative young band an opportunity to really choose songs for their on-stage performances instead of just playing the few they had had before. Almost precisely two years after, the Englishmen presented their fourth full-length effort. Truth be told, this one, named Plumb, looks a tiny attempt against the gigantic previous work as it features two times less material. The thing is, unlike the earlier record, this album does not have space for experiments and offers nothing but a bulk of mutually connected tracks, without bonuses and extras.

Plumb’s intriguing start

One of the most efficient tools used to seal the stylistic and conceptual unity of Plumb is the so called cinematographic approach, which is so popular nowadays. The CD features quite a few tracks having no meaningful content, but sustaining the album’s overall feeling, the sensation of a plot or a story developing. This story begins with solemn orchestral sounds of Start The Day Right. The majesty and smoothness of the music bring in associations with classic British rockers, while the falsetto of the Brewis brothers sounds familiar to us. It’s OK To Change draws this line on, yet offering a different melody and the band’s trademark polyphony. As soon as you start to like this tune, this short song ends, and it is time for more Field Music typical material. Sorry Again, Mate, and New Town integrate psychedelic touch of the sixties and lively harmonies with cheerful rhythms. However, these tracks are more like exceptions, because, as we go further into the album, we watch the musicians breaking this balance.

Something close to art rock

Striving to prove that they are capable of writing different and complicated music, the lads from Field Music at times work too hard, but in the end they do manage to make their point to the audience. Songs like Choosing Sides, Guillotine, or Is This The Picture are different in pace, melodies and vocals, but demonstrate prolific and appropriate usage of synths and fancy beats. The effect of submersion into hypnotic state simultaneously with getting higher into the sky, produced by the instruments, might be out of tune with quite conscious thoughts in the lyrics of the songs. The culmination is brought by the grandiose Ce Soir formed with multiple parts of tiers of keys, and semi-dance and wild cocktail Just Like Everyone Else. At least, Plumb is a very dynamic and stylish CD. It has no boring beats migrating from one track to another, nor raw guitars put on rhythm section. Seamless transitions from theme to theme, top class arrangements building a colorful and deep background, and, the most important part, original melodies and vocal parts with recognizable retro rock instrumental sounding promise the listener a very interesting performance. .

Alex Bartholomew
12.01.2012