Fields - Everything Last Winter

Fields
Everything Last Winter (Black Lab Records/Atlantic)
Grade: B

Download: Fields - "Song for the Fields"
Download: Fields - "Feathers"
Download: Fields - "You Brought This On Yourself"

Not enough indie bands sound like Yes. I think that's why I like Fields; they remind me of Yes, even though they don't have a wackjob lead singer like Jon Anderson, whose nonsensical hippie ravings continue to confound dorky stoners everywhere. But despite their lack of a Jon Anderson persona, Fields still are interesting, mostly because they write pretty folk songs that are doused in thick and pretty guitars. Dense and intense, this band is exciting and bursting with ideas, which is why I don't quite understand the cool critical reception Everything Last Winter, the debut album from the English/Icelandic band, has received. Last year, the group's EP, 7 From the Village, got a number of people excited (myself included) about the group's explosive potential. Everything Last Winter makes good on that initial promise, delivering a solid batch of folk-infused melodies and heavy, Zeppelin-style guitar jams. Maybe it's not the revelation people expected, but it's certainly a captivating take on tired classic rock motifs. Highlights include the opener "Song for The Fields," which is driven by a titanic drumbeat, "Feathers," "You Brought This on Yourself" and "If You Fail We All Fail."

(Pete Farrell)