100 Shows of 2010 - #69: Field Music @ Rock'n'Roll Hotel, 9/25/10

I'm sure y'all will know exactly what I'm talking about when I say this, but I have this group of bands that I just for one reason or another have cruelly, and rather unjustly, not given enough due diligence to. I've talked about it before, I'm sure. The bands that, sure, you've heard of, maybe heard a song or two and pretty much thought it was rather good, but just haven't quite managed to make a staple in your listening rota. Well, add Field Music to this list. My lack of anything other than complete and total adoration for them has been, truly, remiss, especially when you consider that a) they're English, and b) know how to grow some mighty fine mustaches. So when my friend Carolyn offered up her extra ticket to this show, I thought it best, prudent, even, to take her up on her kind offer and venture out for what ended up being one surprisingly excellent show.

MINI RECAP: Field Music = Fucking Magic! Overall Score: A

The band, resplendently-mustached (well, half of them), threw out a set of incredibly well-crafted, interesting songs. Dynamic and angular, yet with a certain hint of pastoral sensibilities. In my notes I equate them to a much less cynical and abrasive Young Knives (who, if you're not familiar with, amend that immediately). There was keyboard goodness! There was jauntiness for days! There were even hints of some golden, funky 70s rock that crept in every now and again, adding even more to a sound that already offered so very much to love.

It didn't take me long to realize that I had been oh so shamefully negligent when it comes to Field Music. Not only was their music astounding, but they won serious points with their banter. They went on about Sunderland being near Washington's ancestral home, and having never played a Washington, be it city or state or ancestral home. It became a recurring joke betwixt songs, and caused many a chuckle from the crowd. They're punchy, those Field Music lads. They'll sing you a song in a cheerfully droll tone, with the accompanying guitar riffs so angular and lean they cut right through you. It was like watching a finely-tuned musical machine, so on-point was this band. And think of it like this: Spiky guitars, a kicky little drum beat, and the occasional falsetto. What's not to love??? Not a damn thing, that's the correct answer.

This is a sophisticated band, with quite a lot of texture to their songs. But when you get right down to it, friends, Field Music fucking rocks. Simple as. Go see them!

mp3: Measure (Field Music from Field Music (Measure) )

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