The Field- Yesterday And Today (Anti- Rec)
The Field is Stockholm, Sweden's Axel Willner, whose 2007 release 'Here We Go Sublime' was one of the years most acclaimed and eclectic discs, scoring a 9.0 on Pitchfork and receiving global praise. On his sophomore effort he's teamed up with esteemed indie label Anti- to expand on his ambient, fuzzy, techno/ sampling.
At only 6 tracks, none of which are less than 6 minutes and some that run as long as 15 minutes, Anti- describes Yesterday and Today as “continuing the oblique sampling strategy…while building up the rhythmic architecture.” Well, I'm not entirely sure how to interpret that, but I would say this is a meandering and danceable record that is equal parts melodic and hushed, something ideal for the club, daydreaming or even lying in bed all day.
Teaming up with Battles drummer John Stanier on the title track, The Field builds a hypnotic atmosphere, whether it's in the form of calmly splicing and sampling or dark, moody almost eerie like backdrops. A swirling mass of hooks, loops and continual building and releasing on each track, The Field weave through each song with meticulous precision.
Though I've never been a fan of this genre of music, I find this quite soothing and relaxing- worth looking into for fans of electronic melodica.
Available May 19.
