Plumb (Field Music album)

This article is about the Field Music album. For the self-titled Plumb album, see Plumb (Plumb album).
Plumb
Studio album by Field Music
Released 13 February 2012
Recorded 2011
Genre Indie pop
Length 35:39
Label Memphis Industries Records
Field Music chronology

Field Music (Measure)
(2010)		 Plumb
(2012)
Singles from Plumb
  1. "(I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing"
    Released: 19 December 2011
  2. "A New Town"
    Released: February 2012
  3. "Who'll Pay the Bills?"
    Released: September 2012

Plumb is the fourth full-length studio album by English alternative band Field Music, released on Memphis Industries Records on 13 February 2012. The album was recorded in their newly built studio in the band's native Sunderland. It was released on CD and on plum-coloured vinyl, a reference to the album's title. In an interview with DIY, David Brewis told the magazine, "I love the fact that the English language has so many homophones. I think it's one of those unique things about the language which really informs the English sense of humour. It tickles me that we can colour all of the album text and the vinyl plum."[1]

The album's cover art is a collage assembled by Peter Brewis and based on the painting Standard Station by American pop artist Ed Ruscha, a print of which hung in Peter's bathroom.[1]

A single, "(I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing", was released in December 2011. A second track, "A New Town", was also made available to download for free ahead of the album's release. "Who'll Pay the Bills?" was the third single released.

On 12 September 2012 the album was nominated for the 2012 Mercury Prize.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
The A.V. Club A-[3]
BBC Music favourable[4]
Drowned in Sound 9/10[5]
The Guardian [6]
The Independent on Sunday [7]
Mojo [8]
NME 8/10[9]
Pitchfork Media 7.3/10[10]
Q [11]
Uncut [12]

The album was well received by critics. Clashmusic gave the album 8 out of 10 and said "Plumb cements Field Music's reputation for truly magnificently crafted classic pop-rock, with an unashamed love of the grandiose soundscapes of the Seventies and a taste for adorning songs with neatly selected sounds from real life... An exhilarating and ambitious collection, it should bring Field Music a deservedly larger audience at last".[13] The Fly rated the album 4½ out of 5 and said "Plumb exposes every inch of the Brewises' brilliance".[14] MusicOMH called the group "one of the most exciting bands these shores have to offer" and said of the album that "they might scour the last 50 years of popular music for inspiration, but their end product is one of the freshest and most exciting guitar records since... well, since Field Music (Measure)" [the band's previous album].[15] Mojo felt that being "easier to digest, more delicately seasoned and with better portion control than 2010's blow-out Measure, Plumb is a delicious tasting menu of rock history... 15 tracks packed with gear changes which dissolve boundaries, until you're listening to one giant prog suite circa '73."[8] Uncut claimed that the band were "able to mine considerable emotional capital from their seemingly parochial concerns" and that the group were "fast becoming the cherished eccentrics of British guitar music".[12]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by David and Peter Brewis.

  1. "Start the Day Right" – 2:18
  2. "It's Okay to Change" – 0:58
  3. "Sorry Again, Mate" – 2:08
  4. "A New Town" – 3:58
  5. "Choosing Sides" – 3:12
  6. "A Prelude to Pilgrim Street" – 1:48
  7. "Guillotine" – 3:12
  8. "Who'll Pay the Bills?" – 2:20
  9. "So Long Then" – 2:06
  10. "Is This the Picture?" – 2:41
  11. "From Hide and Seek to Heartache" – 2:49
  12. "How Many More Times?" – 0:40
  13. "Ce Soir" – 1:13
  14. "Just Like Everyone Else" – 3:00
  15. "(I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing – 3:16

Piccadilly Records 'Live Studio Sessions' bonus disc

For a limited period, customers who ordered copies of Plumb on vinyl or CD from Manchester independent record store Piccadilly Records also received a free bonus CD, containing live studio session versions of the following songs:[16]

  1. "Start the Day Right"
  2. "It's Okay to Change"
  3. "Sorry Again, Mate"
  4. "A New Town"
  5. "Who'll Pay the Bills?"
  6. "Effortlessly"
  7. "Rockist" (School Of Language 'cover')

Rise Records 'Best of' bonus disc

Customers who ordered copies of Plumb from Bristol independent record store Rise Records also received a free bonus 'best of' CD, with the following tracks:[17]

  1. "Shorter Shorter" (from Field Music)
  2. "If Only the Moon Were Up" (from Field Music)
  3. "Got to Get the Nerve" (from Field Music)
  4. "Tones of Town" (from Tones of Town)
  5. "A House Is Not a Home" (from Tones of Town)
  6. "In Context" (from Tones of Town)
  7. "Rockist Part 1" (from School of Language album Sea From Shore)
  8. "Rockist Part 2" (from School of Language album Sea From Shore)
  9. "Scratch the Surface" (from The Week That Was album The Week That Was)
  10. "Its All Gone Quiet" (from The Week That Was album The Week That Was)
  11. "Let's Write a Book" (from Field Music (Measure))
  12. "Choosing Numbers" (from Field Music (Measure))
  13. "Them That Do Nothing" (from Field Music (Measure))

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Britton, Luke Morgan (9 February 2012). "Field Music: We're in a Fortunate Position". This Is Fake DIY. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  2. ↑ Sendra, Tim. Field Music – Plumb > Review at AllMusic
  3. ↑ Harvey, Eric (14 February 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Beanland, Chris (30 January 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". BBC Music. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Lavery, Aaron (9 February 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Simpson, Dave (9 February 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Richman, Simmy (12 February 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Irvin, Jim. "Review: Field Music – Plumb". Mojo (March 2012). p. 103.
  9. ↑ MacBain, Hamish (10 February 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". NME. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  10. ↑ Leitko, Aaron (13 February 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Dunning, J.J. "Review: Field Music – Plumb". Q (March 2012). p. 113.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Richards, Sam. "Review: Field Music – Plumb". Uncut (March 2012). p. 82.
  13. ↑ James, Gareth (10 February 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". Clashmusic.com. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  14. ↑ Moffat, Iain (10 February 2012). "Review: Field Music – Plumb". The Fly. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  15. ↑ Clarke, Helen. "Review: Field Music – Plumb". MusicOMH. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  16. ↑ Piccadilly Records website
  17. ↑ Rise Records website