The five members of the British band Fields couldn't have planned it this way, but in a single ten-track album, they manage to evoke all of the following bands/artists (and in no particular order): My Bloody Valentine, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Radiohead, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Nick Drake, and Cocteau Twins. That may be a potent cocktail of influences, but it's all in balance throughout the eye-opening brew of lush, heavily textured music that spills from Everything Last Winter, the band's spellbinding full-length debut. Acoustic guitars have a special place in the songs of Fields -- before a swirl of synthesizers takes over, they set a deceptively gentle mood. They're the first of many layers in what amounts to a stacked but penetrable sound, one that's made all the more distinctive by the well-balanced male/female harmonies of Nick Peill and Thorunn Antonia. Standout tracks include the opening "Song for the Fields" (from their 7 from the Village EP) and the '70s-tinged "You Don't Need This Song (To Fix Your Broken Heart)."
© Tammy La Gorce /TiVo
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