Fields

Last year it was "wolves,” this year it’s the word "field” that is cluttering the music scene with too many similarly named bands. Not to be confused with the Field or Field Music, London band Fields bring a strange mix of folk and shoegazing to the table. And while it might not seem like those two genres would blend together without a fight, Fields somehow manage to pull it off. Everything Last Winter follows their debut EP, 7 From The Fields, and is the sound of a band hitting their stride. Gone is the uncertainty that seemed to prevent the band from swooping and soaring. This newfound confidence is apparent on "Charming The Flames” and "If You Fail, We All Fail.” Fields are at their most impressive when they are lurking behind a wall of swirling guitars — they cite My Bloody Valentine as an influence but they seem to reside somewhere between Ride and the Delgados, due in part to the vocal interplay between singers Nick Peill and Thorunn Antonia. While the quieter songs are nice enough, it almost feels like they should be on a different album and it’s only when they let loose towards the end of the songs that they manage to recapture the magic of the other tracks. To call Everything Last Winter an original album might be pushing it a little but there are some wonderful moments that could make Fields one of the year’s more intriguing new bands.