Field Register

The shoegazer revival seems to have stalled somewhere between very hip and radically un-hip. While I prefer to ride the coattails of someone that is cool/credible enough to make the call either way on that, I can point to the Field Register as an example of the former. The newly Montreal-based act have combined Young Team-era Mogwai soundscapes with the yawning vocals of Neil Halstead into a beautiful, intricate and wholly miserable experience. The album’s tracks combine together to sound like the dull throb of a broken heart. Every song offers layer upon layer of expertly textured, reverb-drenched guitars over a bed of swirling organs and pulsing bass. As crescendos of crashing guitars build and descend in a fluent and fluidic motion, the band never shows a weak moment, or a happy one for that matter. But that’s fine, the Field Register never feel false, and do "bummed” better than most. Scene revivals aside, Eastern Shore is an absolutely stellar album. It’s a disc that excels both in focus and delivery, making it a truly special listen.