Track Listing

1. Song For The Fields
2. Charming The Flames
3. You Don't Need This Song (to fix your broken heart)
4. Feathers
5. Schoolbooks
6. The Death
7. You Brought This On Yourself
8. Skulls and Flesh and More
9. If You Fail We All Fail
10. Parasite

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55374 in Music
• Released on: 2007-04-02
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
On its strikingly ambitious full-length debut, EVERYTHING LAST WINTER, the Birmingham, England-based ensemble Fields presents a bold set that fuses wistful British folk and chamber pop with amped-up indie rock, bringing to mind a jam session between Fairport Convention and Mew (see the sweeping "Charming the Flames"). Fronted by singer/multi-instrumentalistNick Peill and Icelandic singer/keyboardist Thorunn Antonia, the group makes effective use of male/female vocals and dense, layered arrangements, leading to justifiable Arcade Fire comparisons, particularly on the explosive "Song for the Fields." Boasting sterling production by studio veteran Michael Beinhorn, EVERYTHING LAST WINTER is a dynamic and hypnotic album that marks the arrival of a considerably talented band.

Customer Reviews

A Band With A Blindingly Bright Future
There was always a danger for me after I set myself the task of reviewing this album. The danger that maybe I would end up being bias and sounding bias, giving Fields a monumental score where really, the album might not have been that good. I've been following these talented bunch of individuals from a couple of years back, gradually watching them being signed and seeing the profiles views on their myspace go sky high. So I'm setting myself a challenge to try and not look for too many positives in this album, and to try and look deeper and try and balance out my opinion. But this challenge has become even harder by the fact that there isn't much to criticise with this record.
Nick Peill's original strumming of the acoustic guitar, Thorunn Antonia's overwhelming sounds from her keyboard, Henry Spencer's enraging style of drum playing, Matty Derham's dominance of the bass guitar and Jamie Putham's ability to completely change a song with one outstanding guitar riff, this five-piece have everything going for them, the talent that comes through their music is undeniably, unusually good. The premiere of this tear-jerking drama, "Song For The Fields" comes from nowhere, the second the drums enter, music can stop. There needn't be any more music made from that moment, because some would see it as impossible to better this song. Misconception from the press, saying that this band are the most likely to "do a Snow Patrol" may be getting a bit scary for the band, but those opinions will be thrown a thousand miles away the second the press hears this epic opener.
New single "Charming The Flames" suitably follows, it's chilled out compared to the previous 6 minutes, with a lack of passion vocally being the only negative involved, the background music is again incomparable, bringing moments where you can just stand still and watch the world go by. The amount of passion overall put into this album, is something not many other bands will attempt to give. The biggest example of this is the penultimate track and previous release, "If You Fail We All Fail", which contains the most euphoric closing moments you will ever let your ears witness. Feedback which somehow satisfies your taste, gradually increasing your heartbeat as you go on, until you become speechless, or you find yourself dancing wildly in the company of your own room. Putham's guitar becomes almost deafening, let still not a challenge to listen to and you begin to wonder whether Fields could be one of those bands that will have a 20 year career, constantly earning more respect as they go on. Because this band are one in a million in my somewhat bias opinion.
And despite the few moments where you manage to lose attention, ("Skulls And Flesh And More" , "You Don't Need This Song" and the opening moments of "Feathers") there are songs which make up for it all and make this record incomparable to most others. "The Death" sounds like Mogwai with vocals, something that many fans of the Scottish band crave for every now and then. "You Brought This On Yourself" also shows the band's diversity, sounding like a Britpop anthem in some places, reminding you of the days where Blur would dominate your playlist of music.
After the whole experience of following the band and finally getting my hands of this album, I've realized one thing about this LP. You don't need to be bias to fall in love with it.

Don't Let The Hype Put You Off
This album comes with so much hype behind it (fuelled by the rapturous reception to the singles that preceded it) that it's almost begging you to not like it; begging you to cut through the expectation and come down on the negative side of the equation.

Well as much as you try you won't come down on the negative side of the equation at all. No, its not a consistently brilliant album but it is a good one.

From the moment that opening song Song For The Fields switches gears from its slow and gentle beginning and goes all out rock you are drawn in and whilst this "slow build and then BAM!" trick does perhaps get a little bit familiar over the course of the album it never really ceases to amaze.

They do save the best for (almost the) last. If You Fail We All Fail is quite simply sublime and the only downside to it is perhaps that it's so good that it can't help overshadow the album as a whole.

Still this is a great debut which bodes well for the future. And a salient nod to the fact that hype doesn't always have to leave you disappointed.

Well worth the wait
Hi,


I have been waiting for this record for a while now and at first I was slightly disappointed based on my initial listen. However, with me this is usually a good thing as I know I will have to 'breakdown ' the complexity of some of the tracks and work a little harder. In other words this is not throwaway and easily categorised pop music. This is a great cross between lots of musical styles and you never really know whats coming next. Very hard to get past the barnstorming opener ' song for the fields' but although some songs are forgettable and I don't ;like the ' Evanascence' type sound to 'feathers' although it improves later in the track, there is much to enjoy about this album. Although having said all of this you must play it on a great sound system otherwise the production can seem quite fuzzy. I always know when I am on a winner with my album choices when my missus walks in and states loudly' whats that racket, thats just noise'!