Sea From Shore

After the release of the quite extraordinary Tones of Town, Field Music felt like anything but a band inhibited by inherent restrictions. Yet last June, the Brewis brothers and Andy Moore put into action their threat that whenever the expectations surrounding ‘Field Music The Indie Band’ got in the way of wilder ideas, the band “would be handcuffed and locked in a cupboard.” Eight months later, with the emergence of David Brewis’ debut release as School of Language, it appears the key may also be thrown away if desired.

Not that Sea From Shore represents a great departure from Field Music’s ever evolving intricate pop. Nor is it home to any overly overtly wild ideas. It is, however, a record allowing its author a more freewheeling hand. “Indie bands” simply don’t bookend a record with four versions of the same song as Sea From Shore does so wonderfully with Rockist Parts one through four. Liberated, Brewis makes his patented bizarre melodies all the more bizarre and further complicates those complex harmonies. There are eleven very rich pop songs here, but not one with a make up that can be easily deciphered.

Just as Bitches Brew has most Miles Davis fans returning for exploratative purposes, Sea From Shore demands repeated listens. The repetitive “ooh-eeh-ooh-aah” vocals of the various Rockist parts and less man-made swirling effects on ‘This Is No Fun’ and ‘Extended Holiday’ ensure there are twists and turns a plenty. With so much going on sonically, it’s easy to forget just how good a singer David Brewis is. While the quieter moments of ‘Poor Boy’ and ‘Ships’ jog the memory, the falsetto on the gorgeously bounding ‘Marine Life’ is affirmation that, yes this is a songwriter with the complete package.

Most tellingly of all through, Sea From Shore hints that Field Music may eventually become a footnote in the School of Language story, rather than the other way around.