Fields

As album openers (and debut singles) go, the rollicking power-folk of ‘Song For The Fields’ is one hell of a call-to-arms. Alright, they may be hippie-dippie arms – daisies in the barrel of a gun – but it is a call nonetheless. From here on in, ‘Everything…’ is a schizophrenic affair. ‘The Death’ sounds like it takes pleasure in burning maidens, while ‘Schoolbooks’ is a ruddy good semi-acoustic ballad that conjures up images of scrumpy-drinking at folk festivals, but also, oddly, of Bon Jovi playing a solo on the edge of a cliff. Unfortunately though, Fields never quite reach such dizzy heights on the rest of the album, preferring instead to apply their considerable talents to creating numerous prog-outs that lack the heroic factor of their first single.

Leonie Cooper