By: Kevin Scott
Field Report | website | facebook | twitter |
Released on October 6, 2014 via Partisan Records
Maybe it’s the cold winters, but there’s something haunting and wonderful about Wisconsin’s folk scene. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon may be the flagbearer but he is not alone – as this second album from Field Report proves. This is sunset Americana at its finest, with Chris Porterfield (wait, Porterfield, Field Report? Ahhh, I get it now) ploughing a tranche of songs that evoke feelings of warmth and loneliness in equal measure. As it happens, Porterfield and Vernon are one-time bandmates, but the sound here is far removed from Bon Iver. Essentially, it’s a country album with contemporary flourishes that provide enough polish to make it shine.
From the lush melody of ‘Decision Day’ it’s pretty clear what Porterfield and producer and long-time Feist collaborator Robbie Lackritzis are aiming for. There’s those minor chords and wistful, reflective lyrics that comes straight out of Will Oldham’s book.
There’s minimal input elsewhere – guitar, vocal and a bit of background ambience. The stand-out ‘Home (Leave the Lights On)’ is reminiscent of Gold-era Ryan Adams. It’s uplifting with the chorus describing a man’s return home and the struggle this entails. The clever use of electronics alongside the classic Americana acoustic provides a contrast between the old and the new, highlighting how comfortably Field Report sits between them.
‘Ambrosia’s’ piano-led melancholy is another example of how the abstract has been eschewed for a more traditional approach song-writing. There’s references to the local sheriff’s bullying kid, who later ‘died alone on a golf course with a gun.’ With just the piano for backing, it’s a song that forces you to digest every word, the cracked vocal stunning.
It’s the use of electronics that takes the album up a notch, giving it real depth – particularly on tracks like ‘Summons’ and ‘Michelle’ – the latter of which is one of the album’s highlights. It’s one of several piano-led tracks, but one in which a fuller sound grows than on many others. ‘Summons’ meanwhile has a glorious chorus, complete with slide guitar. The chorus references home (wherever that is), a key theme of the album.
It’s an hugely approachable record, but one that can’t be accused of leaning too far into the mainstream. It’s commercial, but it’s got character and Porterfield’s vocals are hugely powerful and emotive; the driving force of the album.
Listening to ‘Marigolden’ from start to finish is an affecting 47 minutes; there haven’t been many more emotional albums this year. Come to think of it, there haven’t been many better albums.
