Field Music [Bonus Tracks]

1	If Only the Moon Were Up 3:02
2	Tell Me Keep Me 3:13
3	Pieces 3:02
4	Luck Is a Fine Thing 2:18
5	Shorter Shorter 1:56
6	It's Not the Only Way to Feel Happy 5:21
7	17 2:43
8	Like When You Meet Someone Else 3:22
9	You Can Decide 2:15
10	Got to Get the Nerve 4:03
11	Got to Write a Letter 3:12
12	You're So Pretty... 3:22
13	You're Not Supposed To Bonus Track 2:35
14	Trying to Sit Out Bonus Track 1:48
15	I'm Tired Bonus Track 5:27
16	You're Not Supposed To CD-ROM Track

Barnes & Noble

With ties to both the Futureheads (singer Andrew Moore featured in an early incarnation) and Maximo Park (Tom English plays drums in both bands), you might expect Sunderland, England's, Field Music to be yet another band trafficking in nervy post-punk. Certainly the first minute of "If Only the Moon Were Up," the lead track on their eponymous debut, would give further evidence to this conclusion, sounding not unlike the Shins covering Devo's "Girl U Want." But before song's end the jerky rhythms make way for a string section and lush harmonies, making it apparent that Field Music have more up their sleeves than Gang of Four and XTC reissues. Field Music sparkles with jaunty melodies and delicate, orchestrated arrangements, suggesting '60s baroque pop (think the Left Banke or the Zombies) more than anything else. Yet off-kilter songs like "You're So Pretty," "Like When You Meet Someone Else," and "Got to Write a Letter" could only exist now. There may be no better descriptor for Field Music's original, enticing sound than the band's name itself -- perfect for picnics, drives in the country, and cool nights under the stars. Bill Pearis

All Music Guide

Field Music is a trio of Northern lads who work a rich seam of melodic and angular guitar with indie pop arrangements on their excellent, self-titled debut record. For those who enjoy easy comparisons, here are a few for you: XTC at their most pop, the Beach Boys fed through a post-punk strainer, and the New Pornographers with a dimmer switch. Formed by original Futureheads drummer Peter Brewis (and joined by brother David Brewis and Andrew Moore) the group shares some of the herky-jerky, harmony rich feel of the Futureheads but exhibits a much calmer, more melancholy and diverse approach. The 12 tracks feature loads of vocal harmonies, inventive arrangements (harmonicas, glockenspiels, saxophones, falsettos galore) and soaring choruses, the likes of which put them ahead of their old mates and at the forefront of this year's model of British Invasion. Indeed when the band is working at their peak as on the quietly desperate "Got to Get the Nerve," "Like When You Meet Someone Else," the cello-sporting pop gem "Shorter, Shorter," and the autumnal "It's Not the Only Way to Feel Happy," they display a feel for dynamics and an unfailingly catchy style of songcraft that their counterparts can't come near. Not many bands around can, and that is enough to make Field Music one of the bands to watch in 2006 and beyond, and to make their album one you have to hear if you are dedicated to smart, inventive, and exciting guitar pop. [The album was finally released stateside in April of 2006 with the addition of three tracks: U.K. B-sides "Trying to Sit Out" and "I'm Tired" as well as a new version of "You're Not Supposed To," a song Peter Brewis recorded with his first post-Futureheads group Electronic Eye Machine]. Tim Sendra