To be honest, Field Music has somewhat been under the radar for Power of Pop. Why exactly is a mystery, when you consider that the core duo of the brothers David and Peter Brewis have been making timeless/classic PoP friendly music since 2005!
Better late than never perhaps?
Whatever, new album Commontime (the band’s sixth) sounds like it came out of a time warp from the 1980s and that is a mighty compliment. Encapsulating the melodic art-rockers of that era (e.g. XTC, The Police, The Korgis, Split Enz, Roxy Music and Todd Rundgren/Utopia), Field Music is still able to sound fresh and invigorating.
In evoking soul/R&B nuances in songs like “But Not For You” and “It’s A Good Thing”, the Rundgren influences become very apparent. In addition, there’s some Utopian art-rocking for good measure on the complicated “Trouble at the Lights”, some edgy guitar pop ala XTC on the opening “The Noisy Days Are Over” and some dense orchestration on the sophisticated piano ballad that recalls the songwriting prowess of Bacharach and McCartney – no mean feat!
One of the finest old-fashioned pop albums true music lovers will hear in 2016 – gently reminding us that even if this kind of music isn’t in the charts anymore, it is a blessing that the likes of Field Music are still creating it! Enjoy!!
Buy now!