Known for their inventive chamber pop, Britains Field Music continue to evolve on their ninth effort, the relaxed yet endlessly surprising Flat White Moon. The album follows their ambitious and quirky 2020 historical concept album Making a New World, in which they explored how society changed in the wake of the First World War. Less concept-driven if no less evocative, Flat White Moon finds them further embracing their love of vintage pop styles from the 60 to the 80s. Again showcasing the combined talents of bandmates and siblings David and Peter Brewis, Flat White Moon is easily one of the duos most expertly produced efforts, rife with a deep analog warmth that shimmers with a vinyl texture. Theres always a sense that Field Music are drawing upon their many influences, borrowing guitar and keyboard sounds as well as minor lyrical and rhythmic hooks that feel plucked out of their record collection. Its an approach that often starts the listener itching to figure out what any given song reminds them of, but one which never feels too indebted to any one artist or era. Certainly, artists come to mind, as on the proggy Not When Youre in Love, where the circular piano riff and off-kilter percussion bring to mind Genesis. Theres also In This City which sounds like the more pop-leaning end of Yes. Similarly, the bass-heavy No Pressure sounds improbably (and pleasingly) like a Todd Rundgren song if sung by Chicagos Peter Cetera. Theres also an artful sincerity to Field Musics songs that feel personal yet character-driven, as if they were written for a musical. The poignant When You Last Heard from Linda is just that sort of song; folky and marked by a warm cello part, it plays like a sung letter addressed to someone struggling with the end of a relationship. We also get the driving Out of the Frame, where the sparkling dual guitar leads mask the songs darker themes of loneliness and how seeing an old photograph can leave us feeling the weight of the passing of time. Full of smart nods to their pop inspirations, Field Musics Flat White Moon is a poetic and beautifully realized production. ~ Matt Collar

Rovi