Rock Cridick: Measure by Field Music

Field Music's Mypsace (and homepage) displays the following caption:

Pretending to be a band since 2005

Well, at least they have the courage to admit to their tenuous existence in the rock world.  Most bands continue to flutter around, pretending to be a band, long after we have all stopped pretending to care.  And at first blush, one could very well assume that Field Music is not only pretending to be a band, but pretending to be a band that has already existed in the past, based on the tight pop arrangements, glittering harmonies, a soothingly casual approach to melody, and an almost obsessive attention to detail.

In fact, each song passes by as if culled from the depths of a previous pop acts' catalogue, leaving the listener with a tip-of-the-tongue residue, often unquenchable the longer one decides to pursue the interminable extrapolation.  But Field Music is not merely playing parakeet to their pop heroes and antecedents, for while their music recalls the past, it is derived entirely from the living imaginations of a band that has been able to synthesize the strong specter of their influences with their own profound command of song craft.

And it is comforting to know that at a time when character of a band is determined by the number of varying noises a collective can make during the 4.2 of a given song, that there is a band out there who is more than content to allow their instrumentation to do the work for them.  In a pop world today that is built on frenetic Strokesisms, characteristic of post-punk New Wave syndrome, Field Music dances to the beat of a different era.  One where song structure and an attention to detail is tantamount, straddling the line between art rock and a weathered new wave, reminiscent of a band that has finally shaken their training-wheels punk roots and accepted their lot as thoughtful squares as opposed to edgy idealists.  Their is a purpose behind Field Music, bolstered by their restrained approach.  The Rest is Noise, as the song goes.

And this is evident in the composition of each song and the interplay between instruments Bass and drums are not merely relegated to the rhythm section, but are prominently displayed adding real value to the song, buoying the melody rather than merely punctuating.  Particularly with respect to a charismatic bass, that is often times driving the melody, rather than trying to keep up with the guitars and keys.  This heavy display from the rhythm section then allows the melodic instruments to roam free, playing between the lines, heavy and saturating where necessary or creating light, classical atmospheres when the mood calls.

So, what does Field Music sound like?  XTC, minus the early punk roots?  Big Star, minus the lament?  Station to Station-era Bowie, minus the movie star backdrop?  Yes, minus the wandering?  A Crosby, Stills, Nash harmony here, an unsettling , Peter Gabriel-style haunt there, nostalgia everywhere.  But it's best to not sit there, attempting to rattle off all of the obvious influences that can be found on Measure, for while the members of Field Music are obviously students of the game, it's not mimicry that makes them successful, but their maturity and patience.  There are no numbers on the pictures, nor at there any corresponding colors to be applied, which all adds up to one large cerebral exercise in creation, where songwriting and all of the implicated elements are calculated out a true passion for pop music, rather than as a exhausting chore which homage can often so often become.  As if Field Music has studied what every previous pop act has done wrong, and sought to correct it over a 20-song opus, as much a criticism as it is a tribute.  And over those 20 songs everything is measured, and it all appears to be done so... Effortlessly.

Maybe these cats should stop pretending to not be a band.