For Folk's Sake » Field Music

Schmercuries: vote now for your album of the year.

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:40:42 +0000

It’s the last day of voting for our Mercury spoof the Schmercury poll… Don’t miss the chance to vote for your favourite.

Schmercuries interview series: Field Music

Lynn Roberts — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 09:39:37 +0000

Field Music’s incredibly varied album Measure is, in FFS’s humble opinion, the best of their career. So we nominated it for our annual best album prize, the Schmercuries. (There’s still time to vote for your favourite album below.) David Brewis from the band took some time out to answer our questions…

FFS: Congratulations, you’ve been nominated for a Schmercury. How do you feel?

David Brewis: Very pleased, thanks. It’s a very good name for a contemporary music prize.

What did you think of the Mercury nominations this year?

In all honesty, there’s very little new music, especially from this side of the atlantic, which I have any interest in whatsoever so it makes sense for me to expect very little from the Mercuries. I’ve accepted that they’re not designed for someone with my tastes and therefore I’m never disappointed.

Aside from your own, what’s your favourite album on the Schmercuries list?

I’ve actually only heard a couple and none of them enough to make any kind of weighty critical judgement.

What album (released in the past year) have we missed off the list?

Thomas White’s album, The Maximalist, and, if we’re allowed music from across the pond, Medications’ album Completely Removed. Both full of ideas explored and tunes deconstructed in interesting ways.

What are your thoughts about Measure?

I think it’s one of our best! I think me and Pete can feel pretty pleased that we’ve managed to push on and improve on lots of the things we’ve been trying to do. We had something in mind when we started and just about managed to pull it off.

Did you know it was special when you were making it?

I don’t particularly think it’s any more special than our last few records, but I probably felt more confident while we were in the studio than I have in the past. Because we record ourselves, we used to spend a lot of time worrying about whether we could make something which sounded like a real record.

Were you happy with it when it was released?

I was very happy to finally get it out there, partly because it had been a full 3 years since we released a Field Music album and partly because we’d been sitting on it for four months! We finished the mixing and mastering at the beginning of October 2009 and it wasn’t released until mid-February, which is completely understandable but also quite frustrating.

What do you think about the critics and fans’ reaction to it?

It’s been heartening that so many of the people who like it, really, really like it and have been excited by the depth and volume of ideas they’ve found in it. There have also been plenty of really scathing reviews too but, when you make a double-album with a ten-minute long found-sound composition and a bunch of wah-wah guitar solos, you just have to take what’s coming.

What’s your favourite song on the album?

Difficult to say – it’s changed quite a few times and I haven’t actually listened to it for a few months. The last time I thought about it, I’m sure I said Precious Plans and Let’s Write A Book.

What’s your favourite album ever?

For argument’s sake I’ll say Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by popular Liverpudlian beat combo, The Beatles.

Do you have plans for your next album?

Yeah, we’ve probably got plans for the next three or four but we’ve been far too busy touring to do anything about it.

Vote for your favourite album of the year here. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 15th September.

Festival: Green Man

For Folk's Sake — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:24:18 +0000

The ladies of First Aid Kit

The Green Man promised magic and he didn’t disappoint.

Once again the organisers pulled off the spectacular trick of attracting the friendliest festival crowd to the most laid-back festival there is, while enticing some of the weirdest and most wonderful bands out there to perform.

Manchester krautrockers Plank get the party started in fine style over in the Far Out tent, while heirs to Hefner’s geek-pop throne, Wave Pictures, are the first of many great acts to grace the main stage.
Travel disruption sees Mountain Man miss their main-stage slot; they are replaced by the idiosyncratic but weirdly compelling songs of Sweet Baboo (check his track ‘Who Would Have Thought’ for evidence) and the wonderful Caitlin Rose, who looks a little nervous on the big stage but plays her heart out. When Mountain Man do eventually take to the intimate Green Man Pub stage, their intricate harmonies impress but are perhaps not quite as mind-blowing as hoped for.

The Majestic Ms. Marling.

That particular honour goes first to Steve Mason, who delivers a confident set that includes classic Beta Band and King Biscuit Time tracks (‘Dry the Rain’ and ‘No Style’ respectively). The fans are thrilled and the newcomers are impressed. Fuck Buttons follow and they drop an immense set of looping and building multi-textured behemoths as only they can.

Where to go from there? An Horse are playing their hearts out at the GM Pub, while Doves are plodding and pounding through their back catalogue in a vaguely stirring way. Time for bed.

Come Saturday, the sun has come out (as have a sea of blankets and festival chairs) and normality is restored. Welsh warhorses El Goodo kick things off on the main stage, wearing their Super Furry influences proudly on their ragtag sleeves, and Race Horses also represent the home nation proudly with their Gorky-esque indie-pop.

Over in the Far Out, the absurdly young Egyptian Hip Hop kids impress with their gothy rock, Voice of the Seven Thunders feel slightly anonymous in comparison, and Summer Camp arrive like a summer breeze with their pre-meditated, almost sycophantic ode to 80s pop, but are fantastic with it.

Elizabeth Sankey of Summer Camp

Avi Buffalo show enough potential to suggest good things may yet come from them, while These New Puritans are just a bit miserable and, well, puritanical to really go down well in these idyllic environs. Wild Beasts, on the other hand, hoot their way through a polished, brilliant set that has the tent howling for more. Over on the main stage, things are getting weird with Wayne Coyne’s lazer-jazz-hands – his band the Flaming Lips are predictably epic as ever. But the real freakiness is going on elsewhere, with Neon Indian‘s set-of-the-weekend for the 100 or so people there to witness it. “Like a discofied version of Chk Chk Chk….” they are one of the discoveries of the weekend, month, year even. But the night is not over yet. There’s still time to squeeze in a bit of Metronomy before bed. These guys really have developed into the finished article, the perfect party band – absolutely immense! Honourable mentions too for the lovely First Aid Kit, who are just great, and the quietly impressive Scottish folkie Rachel Sermanni.

Sunday starts in sardonic style, with the deadpan Steve Adams showing off his new band, Singing Adams (“A big hand for Melinda on the drums. She’s a horrible person but a great drummer”). The lyrics are great and the sing-along moments are rather lovely too. And if the band thing doesn’t work out, Steve has a sure fire future in stand-up comedy. Things go from sunny to surreal with the arrival of Darwin Deez, who pull a big crowd, possibly due to their camp-as-Christmas dance routines rather than the music. Nowt wrong with that, mind. By contrast, Alasdair Roberts sits at the other end of the music spectrum, with his serious, traditional folk songs culled from as far afield as New Zealand and 9th century Persia. The final tune, an epic for all the people in the crowd on anti-depressents, is about as eccentric as it gets though.

Stuart Staples - Mr. Tindersticks

Field Music, Laura Marling and folk boy-band Mumford & Sons all come and go with impressive, if perfunctory sets, leaving the crowd in the capable hands of the swoonsome but slightly world-weary Tindersticks. The bubble and squeak of Joanna Newsom soothes a massive main-stage crowd as night falls and the rain returns with a vengeance. But there’s one more surprise in store for people down the GM pub – Silver Columns are the most baffling, nuts act of the whole weekend. Comprising folkie stalwarts Adem and Pictish Trail, the Silver Columns are early 90s rave, Erasure and c.2007 handbag house all rolled into one. You get the feeling the whole project is a bit of a joke, but there’s no denying it’s a pretty good one.

A weird way to end the festival perhaps but this is Green Man where, as they say, you should always expect the unexpected…

Words and pictures: Joe Downie

Brian’s Mixtape #41: Pick of the Schmercuries 2010

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:22:58 +0000

This weekend we launched our Schmercury Poll – FFS’s best album award, in which we’re asking you to vote for your favourite of 12 albums released in the past year. While the FFS editors were tearing our hair out, trying to whittle down the huge pile of wonderful albums released this year to our favourite 12 being forced to discard dearly-loved works of art to get down to the requisite dozen, Brian was sitting back, tapping the armrests with the tips of his wings, and biding his time.

Then when we announced the list, he took a quick glance over it, scribbled down 12 tracks with an air of nonchalance that was frankly a little irritating to the frazzled of nerve, and handed over this list with a wryly arched eyebrow.

As much as we hate to admit it, Brian is right to be smug. We think this might be his best playlist ever. The swine.

Listen on Spotify: Brian’s Mixtape #41: Pick of the Schmercuries 2010

Caitlin Rose – For The Rabbits
Field Music – Them That Do Nothing
Laura Marling – Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)
Noah And The Whale – Love Of An Orchestra
Broadcast 2000 – Your Own Worst Enemy
Peggy Sue – Watchman
Midlake – Acts Of Man
Anais Mitchell – Way Down Hadestown
Cocos Lovers – Time To Stand
Mountain Man – Dog Song
Sea Of Bees – Wizbot
Local Natives – World News

Spotify is now freeeee. You can download it here for access to tons and tons of music. As the name suggests Brian has put together rather more playlists than just this, with themes to suit your every mood. Pop over to our mixtapes section to discover them all.

Schmercury Awards 2010: Shortlist announced

Lynn Roberts — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:13:37 +0000

Not one to be left out of all this Mercury spoofing, FFS is delighted to announce this year’s Schmercury Awards shortlist. We had such a hard time whittling all the fantastic albums released this year down to just 12 that we had to have a sit down with some tea and Belle & Sebastian to calm our nerves. However, it is done, and here – in alphabetical order – are our finalists.

Broadcast 2000 – Broadcast 2000
Gemma Hampson said: “This album is a hit waiting in the wings. It’s eclectic enough to be accepted by some of the alt-folk fanatics, different enough to be listened to by those dipping a toe into the more avant-garde acoustic and commercial enough to be played all over every radio station and snapped up by the masses.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Caitlin Rose – Own Side Now
Helen True said: “Caitlin Rose is a young, fresh, twenty-something who knows her way around country music backwards and upside-down. There’s nothing remotely cheesy or outdated about her lyrics, and yet they fit beautifully over what is undeniably very traditional country music. She writes witty words packed with verve and intelligence, all set alight when she sings with the most gorgeous Tennessee drawl.
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Cocos Lovers – Johannes
Alice Knapp said: “Kentish folk stalwarts Cocos Lovers’ latest album, Johannes, captures all the beauty of their live singing. The clear-toned guitars, flickering mandolin and chorus vocals are filled with British tradition. At the same time, other worldwide musical references can be heard in the use of upbeats, hand drums, accordions and operatic vocal cords.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Field Music – Measure
Liane Escorza said: “A kaleidoscope of textures and a versatile canvas of sounds… it opens up shyly, gets confident and alert on its own toes and then bursts into wings of indulgence… a brilliant surge of compelling music and a jungle of brilliant surprises.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
Lynn Roberts said: “Mixing Beach Boys’ sunny Californian harmonies and Simon & Garfunkel’s syncopated rhythms with a raucous, upbeat and infectious dollup of youthful energy, Local Natives’ soaring vocals and everyday, truthful lyrics make Gorilla Manor a true delight… and what’s more, one you can dance to.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Interview)

Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Lynn Roberts said: “The most surprising aspect of I Speak Because I Can is just how robust the once painfully shy Laura now sounds. With rousingly primal tracks like opener Devil’s Spoke, she has extended her repertoire from the meeker sounds of Alas I Cannot Swim. In fact, this LP is in danger of totally overshadowing her Mercury-nominated debut.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Midlake – The Courage of Others
Stephen Thomas said: “Present on Courage is the sort of sweeping majesty that was a staple ingredient of the folk scene in the early seventies. With this album Midlake have realised their position in the world, and in the music industry – and it’s right at the top of the pile.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Anais Mitchell – Hadestown
Lynn Roberts said: “It’s been all I could do to tear myself away from Anais Mitchell’s concept album/folk opera Hadestown. A modern retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, it features guest vocals from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Ben Knox Milller from the Low Anthem as well as Greg Brown and Ani DeFranco. It’s definitely one of the best things I’ve heard all year.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Mountain Man – Made the Harbor
Ali Mason said: “Bluegrass-tinged folk songs bringing to mind the vast sweeping landscapes of the United States, from the New England hills through the Rockies and the Deep South and beyond, as they sing about buffalos and herons and rivers and bees. What marks it out more than the complex, three-part harmonies which flit so gracefully on the air is the sense of stillness and calm which pervades. A perfectly-formed work of understated joy.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Noah & the Whale – The First Days of Spring
Lois Jeary said: “A lifetime of heartbreak away from the whistling and clapping of their twee-folk debut, the album is Charlie Fink’s brutal confession on the state of his heart following his relationship with Laura Marling. But with the imagery of approaching “blue skies” recurring throughout, the lingering impression left by this beautiful album is not of desolation, but of the broken heart’s cautious optimism at the freedom to pursue new possibilities and loves.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Peggy Sue – Fossils & Other Phantoms
Mary Machin said: “Peggy Sue have concocted a heady mixture of blues, rock and doo-wap with their debut. Fossils is a flawlessly contained world all of its own. Its remarkable coherance makes it a body of work to be cherished for years to come.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Sea of Bees – Songs for the Ravens
Nikki Dodds said: “This sweet and complex record presents a hybrid of tunes all tied together via the lazy warmth of Baenziger’s voice. It is interesting and moreish as you witness the tracks tumble between dark and light.”
(Spotify, MySpace, FFS Review)

Like last year — when The Leisure Society’s debut album The Sleeper won the first FFS Schmercury Poll after a battle with Camera Obscura’s My Maudlin Career — we’ve refused to be constrained by geography as the Mercury Prize is, and so this list features our favourite records from around the world.

Have yourselves a listen, and then vote for your pick of the bunch below (you can vote once a day, if you’re keen). But whichever wins, know that we recommend all of these records very highly indeed and urge you to seek out the ones you haven’t heard. Because there’re few things nicer than discovering another brilliant album.

Great line-up for festival in sleepy Eastleigh next weekend

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:23:26 +0000

Well this is a bit of a surprise… some of FFS’s favourite bands seem to have been secretly lined-up to play Eastleigh Music Festival in our home county of Hampshire. Peggy Sue, Haunted Stereo, Field Music and Badly Drawn Boy will all be playing shows at the weekend event.

The festival takes places at The Point theatre (where we’re pretty sure we did a ballet show as a child). Badly Drawn Boy, Field Music and Peggy Sue will play on 10th July. Friday’s line-up is similarly strong for traditional folk fans: Cara Dillon, Lau and Jim Moray play.

We can’t help but feel that since this rather exciting event is just 10 minutes from where FFS grew up, someone should’ve alerted us to it. You took your eye off the ball there, mum, and frankly we’re disappointed.

More information and tickets at the Eastleigh Music Festival website.

For Folk’s Sake’s festival calendar

Lynn Roberts — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:28:17 +0000

We’ve gone through the folkier end of the festival calender, and hereby bring you our picks.

You won’t find any news on Glastonbury or Reading and Leeds, mind. We’re here to tell you about the things you might not have heard about yet.

And what a selection there is this year. You can see Bob Dylan and Laura Marling share a stage at one-day festival Hop Farm in Kent. The always wonderful End of the Road is bringing the legendary and elusive Diane Cluck over from the US as well as playing host to FFS’s favourite band in the world, The Mountain Goats.

For those who like their festivals crossed with city breaks, Open House is putting on an astonishing series of gigs in Belfast including Seasick Steve and Old Crow Medicine Show. And if you’ve got your tastes firmly set to folk of all kinds, the Divine Comedy, Donovan and Johnny Flynn play Moseley Folk Festival, which mixes traditional and new folk music in Birmingham.

Latitude is well on its way to getting the full folk set with Laura Marling, Noah & the Whale and Mumford & Sons all booked to play and also features chuckles from our favourite comedian Josie Long. Lounge on the Farm is putting on our live act of the moment, Cocos Lovers.

And finally, Green Man has got Joanna Newsom. That’s all I’m saying about that.

We don’t want you to have any nasty surprises when it comes to ticket costs so we’ve added booking fees and posting and what not into the prices below. Happy camping!

21-23 May
Wood Festival
Braziers Park, Oxfordshire
Peggy Sue, Cate Le Bon, Frank Turner, Tunng, Fionn Regan
Weekend ticket £72.74 (incl fees) link

3 July
Hop Farm Festival
Hop Farm, Kent
Bob Dylan, Ray Davies, Mumford & Sons, Seasick Steve, Laura Marling, The Magic Numbers
Day ticket without camping £76.25 (incl fees) link

9-11 July
Lounge on the Farm
Merton Farm, Canterbury
Cocos Lovers, Fionn Regan, Jesca Hoop, Tunng
Weekend ticket (incl fees & postage) £103.95 link

15-18 July
Latitude
Henham Park, Suffolk
Laura Marling, Midlake, Belle & Sebastian, Richard Hawley, Noah & the Whale, Grizzly Bear, Jonsi, Mumford & Sons, Frank Turner and comedy from Josie Long
Weekend tickets £167.20 (incl fees) link

13-15 August
Summer Sundae
De Monfort Hall & Gardens, Leicester
Fionn Regan, Fanfarlo, Johnny Flynn, Laura Veirs, Lissie, Local Natives, The Low Anthem, Mumford & Sons, Tunng, The Wave Pictures
Early Bird Weekend tickets £96 (incl fees & postage) link

20-22 August
Green Man Festival
Glanusk Park, Brecon Beacons
Joanna Newsom, Flaming Lips, Field Music, Fionn Regan, First Aid Kit, Matthew & the Atlas, The Smoke Fairies, Caitlin Rose
Weekend ticket £131.45 (incl fees & postage) link

3-5 September
Moseley Folk Festival
Moseley Park, Birmingham
Donovan, The Divine Comedy, Sparrow & the Workshop, Beth Jeans Houghton, The Low Anthem, Johnny Flynn, Cut-A-Shine
Weekend tickets £83.95 (incl fees & postage) link

7-12 September
Open House Festival
Various venues, Belfast
Seasick Steve, Wilco, The Felice Brothers, Field Music, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Low Anthem, AA Bondy
Events individually ticketed, see website

10-12 September
End of the Road
Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
Iron & Wine, The Low Anthem, The Mountain Goats, The New Pornographers, Diane Cluck, The Antlers, Deer Tick
Weekend tickets £135 (incl postage) link

This list will be updated when announcements are made.

Is there anything we’ve missed? Let us know below.

Brian’s mixtape #24: Because We Want To

Brian — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:03:54 +0000

Readers, we’re a little worried. After his absence a couple of weeks ago, Brian’s been acting a bit strangely. He used to be such a lovely tidy, polite owl but now Brian’s stomping about like a petulant teenager, his roost is an absolute shambles and he’s taken to shouting “boring” whenever he loses interest in a conversation. Frankly, it’s alarming.

We think you’ll be able to see the change in Brian in this week’s mix. It’s thematically rather messy, and he’s chosen to call it “Because We Want To”. He’s stopped short of including Billie Piper’s 1998 atrocity of the same name though, thank goodness.

Despite Brian’s waywardness, he’s certainly not lost his wonderful taste in music. Every tune is a gem. FFS is going to be listening to this for a long time to come.

Stars – Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
Eels – Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)
Regina Spektor – Fidelity
Amadou & Mariam – Mouna
Joni Mitchell – Night In The City
Field Music – Them That Do Nothing
Belle and Sebastian – Roy Walker
Alela Diane – The Pirate’s Gospel
Band – Up On Cripple Creek
Jackson C. Frank – Blues Run The Game

And here it is in all its rebellious glory on Spotify (which Brian says should be renamed Spotif-awesome – he’s not good with puns…) Brian’s Mixtape #24: Because We Want To

If you’ve not got yourself registered on Spotify have a look at their website to learn more. And, if you need an invite (so you can use Spotify for free) let uncle Brian know in the comments section below and he will bestow one on you.

Have a flap around our mixtape section to find Brian’s previous efforts.

Album: Field Music’s (Measure)

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:17:36 +0000

Field Music’s (Measure) is one of those releases at the start of a musical new year that come out quietly though deserve to erupt like foam does on a bathtub. Being such a kaleidoscope of textures and such a versatile canvas of sounds, it is one of those works that, besides being a double album (and therefore a challenge to the listener), follow an upward pattern like a diagram of learning curves, only without the explosive climax and the crashing slamming. It opens up shyly, gets confident and alert on its own toes and then bursts into wings of indulgence. The fact is that this is Field Music’s third album (a band formed by brothers David and Peter Brewis, The Sunderland), which for a fairly not-so-commercially-successful band seems pretentious and unjustified. Yet these siblings have been playing for quite some time, including separate side projects. Their confidence in their ability and their focus on form rather than content create a brilliant surge of compelling music and a jungle of brilliant surprises.

Field Music (Measure) is an experimental project of aggressive nature, bucolic beats, whiffs of rocky funk and spells of melodic orchestration. Influences in their tunes are extravagantly clear yet so endearing. There is The Who in ‘Curves of the Needle’, The Beatles’ quirkiness in ‘Measure’, Queens of the Stone Edge’s harmonies in ‘You and I’ and their classic rock in ‘All You’d Ever Need To Say’, Fleetwood Mac’s blues in ‘Each Time is a New Time’ and the crystalline hand-clapping happy-go-lucky rhythms of The Feeling in ‘Them That Do Nothing’. With so much in store it would be too much to ask for more variation and adventure, and yet despite the brave strokes of the psychedelic and unpredictable ‘See You Later’, ‘Something Familiar’ and ‘It’s About Time’, this album calls for a little more of modern electronic nudges. All in all, however, there is no denying that Field Music (Measure) is not one album to calibrate for that lacking feature but for its neurotic, unforeseen and astonishing diversity.

Words: Liane Escorza

For Folk's Sake » Field Music

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