|
New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search
Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
|
Tones Of Town
by Field Music
This second studio LP for the Sunderland, England trio once again finds the band being compared to XTC.
| LABEL: |
Memphis Industries |
| RELEASE DATE: |
13 February 2007 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock |
NOTES: UK release 22 Jan 2007.
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Drowned In Sound
It’s unpredictable, ridiculously clever, catchy as hell and as perfect a pop album as you’re ever likely to hear.
90
Playlouder
It's not overestimating matters to call 'Tones of Town' a timeless masterpiece.
90
Under The Radar
Tones of Town carries the precision, sophistication, and sense of fun that made predecessor brainy pop bands like XTC so damned good. [#16, p.91]
90
Uncut
They're now a glorious band. [Feb 2007, p.76]
90
Mojo
The result is 31 minutes of constantly surprising music, more absorbing and less conventional than anything on their self-titled 2005 debut. [Feb 2007, p.102]
90
Tiny Mix Tapes
The more I listen to Tones of Town, the more I can’t get it out of my head.
83
Entertainment Weekly
If the opaque lyrics seem like last-minute slaves to the meter, the brothers' amicable yelpings add a human touch. [23 Feb 2007, p.98]
81
cokemachineglow
While Tones is tighter, smaller, and more to-the-point than its predecessor, I’m not fully convinced that it’s as good as Field Music.
80
BBC collective
There are off-centre, post-hardcore workouts and plenty of edgy but polished, pop fusion pieces, which suggest The Futureheads transplanted to 70s West Coast America.
80
musicOMH.com
They're bright, breezy, accomplished and catchy, indie-pop at its best.
80
Q Magazine
A great leap forward. [Jan 2007, p.148]
80
The Guardian
The mood is joyfully confident, the sunshine-pop and dreamy harmonies as seamless as the carefully constructed ideas that lay behind them.
80
Hot Press
Beautiful, but never callow, here is an album to fall slowly in love with.
80
Observer Music Monthly
Tones of Town finds Field Music... hurling themselves into an abyss of pastoral abstraction with a wholeheartedness that is utterly thrilling.
80
All Music Guide
Tones of Town cements Field Music's place as one of the best pop bands of any kind operating in 2007.
80
New Musical Express
They're a band who are defiantly British and who haven't sold their soul to current trends--and they're all the better for it. [20 Jan 2007, p.29]
80
No Ripcord
You absolutely, positively cannot go wrong buying this one.
80
Paste Magazine
The band doesn't vary its approach much for record number two. [Mar 2007, p.63]
75
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Tones Of Town sounds genuinely confident, like the band learned to focus more after its 2005 debut.
75
The Phoenix
Loaded with the sort of multi-tiered melodies you find in the early work of XTC.
73
Pitchfork
Tones of Town may lack the swooning immediacy of its predecessor, but it still sounds like a labor of love.
70
Dot Music
Anyone expecting "Revolver" or "Hunky Dory" will soon find their patience sorely tested, though those hoping for a modest collection of whimsical indie melodies, some Beatlesy orchestral flourishes and some cleverly off-kilter rhythms may find much to enjoy in these brief 11 songs.
70
PopMatters
It’s Field Music’s strength that after a short time, this music finds a way of affecting the listener in a subtle yet deep way.
67
Austin Chronicle
The real glory is in watching the trio pull it all off live, perfect harmonies and all.
60
Dusted Magazine
Extremely unoriginal, but well-crafted rock shot through with tantalizingly brief moments of interest.
60
Blender
Pretty, weird and tricky to get a handle on. [Mar 2007, p.136]
58
Stylus Magazine
While not entirely mainstream, Tones of Town is also not all that interesting.
50
Spin
For all its obvious wit and fizzy energy, Tones of Town ultimately feels self-congratulatory and a bit cold-hearted. [Feb 2007, p.83]
The average user rating for this album is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 29 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Read more user comments...
Discuss this album in our forums |
|
