Album Reviews
Flies the Fields | Shipping News
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Occasionally I come across a band with a sound I can’t quite put my fingers on. Shipping News has some elements of indie-rock and some sort of mellow grunge. But neither genre does them justice. This band is all about tension and a simple sound to get across a theme.
I bought Flies the Fields (2005) based upon a suggestion from my friend Carson. Apparently one of the songs I wrote and recorded reminded him of these guys. Naturally, I had to check them out. I later found a couple of the members used to write music for This American Life on NPR, which was interesting for me given my recent interaction with some of the guys on the show. Anyways, I certainly was not disappointed with the purchase. It has a dark yet calm theme throughout and is actually very cohesive. The entire albums flows smoothly from track to track. This is another band that I’ve fell in love with over the past year that focuses their attention on the composition rather than dazzling me with flashy solos. I particularly love the guitar-bass dynamic. I can’t stand bass players that just pay the root note of whatever chord the rhythm guitar is playing. The bass should bridge the gap between guitar and drums… maybe even throw in a counter-melody at the same time. Radical opinion, I know. Luckily their bass player and I share that same attitude.
Though very much different bands, this is the same reason I got into OneSideZero… these guys do a great job of expressing independence between both guitars and bass when they can, making their cohesive moments all the more impressive. Some might find this band a little boring, but that’s just because they don’t get it or have ADD. Just relax and let the music drive for a change.
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