Description:
Field Songs truly signals Mark Lanegan's return to form. The work of the ex-Screaming Trees vocalist stagnated somewhat following his first solo release; 1994's wistfully sad and musically assured Whiskey For The Holy Ghost. Scraps At Midnight and the cover song collection I'll Take Care Of You were both excellent efforts but lacked the punch of Whiskey, just when it sounded like a new voice was emerging from the ashes of an overlooked band's lamentable demise. Field Songs, however, Lanegan's fifth solo record, shows flashes of another growth spurt. Lanegan has never written anything as gentle and compositionally mature as "
Field Songs truly signals Mark Lanegan's return to form. The work of the ex-Screaming Trees vocalist stagnated somewhat following his first solo release; 1994's wistfully sad and musically assured Whiskey For The Holy Ghost. Scraps At Midnight and the cover song collection I'll Take Care Of You were both excellent efforts but lacked the punch of Whiskey, just when it sounded like a new voice was emerging from the ashes of an overlooked band's lamentable demise. Field Songs, however, Lanegan's fifth solo record, shows flashes of another growth spurt. Lanegan has never written anything as gentle and compositionally mature as "Kimiko's Dream House", for instance, nor have any of his records ever had this level of consistency, from bourbon-soaked blues to haunted, late night roots rock. Furthermore, his band, featuring ex-Dinosaur Jr member Mike Johnson on guitar and Ben Shepherd from the late, great Soundgarden on bass, has solidified, effortlessly veering between eerie soundscapes and sombre evocations that form perfect backdrops for Lanegan's familiar smoky growl. Next time you feel like having a late-night chat with a friend named Jack Daniels, let this play in the background as a conversation starter, then draw your own conclusions about how affecting and perceptive Lanegan's work has become. --Matthew Cooke
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Manufacturer: Beggars Banquet
Release date: 11 June 2001
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 0607618022426 UPC: 607618022426
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