Field Music – Tones Of Town

Let me admit that I haven’t heard Field Music’s first album. Maybe, that is why listening to “Tones Of Town” leaves me scratching my head. It has a rating of 80 on metacritic.com, which is quite good. Why am I not so unimpressed?

Field Music is a trio from Sunderland, England consisting of brothers David and Peter Brewis, and Andrew Moore. Together they craft simple, engaging pop songs that are pleasant, if not earth shattering.

“Sit Tight” and “A House is Not a Home” sound like Supertramp tunes. Catchy, but ??? “Sit Tight” ends in a beat-box mess.

I like the rhythms in “Kingston”. Almost like a Broadway show tune, which I mean in a good way.

“Working to Work” is hard to get out of your head. A Steely Dan influence seems evident.

This is an interesting album for me. It’s a case where the total seems to be less than the sum of its parts. A lot of 80’s references don’t necessarily work for me, though I like a lot of the referenced artists. It’s hard for me to see how anyone can get very passionate about Field Music, though I can see how a lot of people would like them.

6 out of 10