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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Tones Of Town

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 29 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Memphis Industries
Release Date: 13 February 2007
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
This second studio LP for the Sunderland, England trio once again finds the band being compared to XTC.
Also By This Artist: Field Music
Also On The Web: Field Music @ MySpace Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
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...
Drowned In Sound
It’s unpredictable, ridiculously clever, catchy as hell and as perfect a pop album as you’re ever likely to hear.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
It's not overestimating matters to call 'Tones of Town' a timeless masterpiece.
Read Full Review >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]
Uncut
They're now a glorious band. [Feb 2007, p.76]
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]
Tiny Mix Tapes
The more I listen to Tones of Town, the more I can’t get it out of my head.
Read Full Review >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]
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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
They're bright, breezy, accomplished and catchy, indie-pop at its best.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
A great leap forward. [Jan 2007, p.148]
The Guardian
The mood is joyfully confident, the sunshine-pop and dreamy harmonies as seamless as the carefully constructed ideas that lay behind them.
Read Full Review >Hot Press
Beautiful, but never callow, here is an album to fall slowly in love with.
Read Full Review >Observer Music Monthly
Tones of Town finds Field Music... hurling themselves into an abyss of pastoral abstraction with a wholeheartedness that is utterly thrilling.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Tones of Town cements Field Music's place as one of the best pop bands of any kind operating in 2007.
Read Full Review >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]
Paste Magazine
The band doesn't vary its approach much for record number two. [Mar 2007, p.63]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Tones Of Town sounds genuinely confident, like the band learned to focus more after its 2005 debut.
Read Full Review >The Phoenix
Loaded with the sort of multi-tiered melodies you find in the early work of XTC.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Tones of Town may lack the swooning immediacy of its predecessor, but it still sounds like a labor of love.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
The real glory is in watching the trio pull it all off live, perfect harmonies and all.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
Extremely unoriginal, but well-crafted rock shot through with tantalizingly brief moments of interest.
Read Full Review >Blender
Pretty, weird and tricky to get a handle on. [Mar 2007, p.136]
Stylus Magazine
While not entirely mainstream, Tones of Town is also not all that interesting.
Read Full Review >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]
What Our Users Said
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.
Roco gave it a10:
Wonderful from start to finish!
Mike M gave it a2:
Sorry Can't Recommend this AT ALL. One of the worst albums ive heard this year....i lied it is the worst i've HEARD this year. im sure there's worse, but i dont like to waste my money...
Epic C gave it a10:
Solid and overall just plain fun. Really upbeat and with lots of great hooks and melodies. I highly recommend!
Blake D gave it a10:
Definitely one of the the best albums released so far this year. It's fun, upbeat and catchy as hell. With alot of cool, enjoyable songs that are going to be stuck in your head for weeks, trust me.
Mike gave it a9:
Not as good as there amazing debut but still a worthy follow-up to it, with some of there catchiest songs to date.
Gill G gave it a10:
Splendid album! I didn't even know who this band was until a co-worker of mine recommended them to me. Thank god he did! Cause, I think I would of missed out on a really wonderful band and record. My biggest surprise of 07.
D Bag gave it a10:
A wonderful little gem. "Sit Tight" "A House Is Not A Home" "Working To Work" "In Context" are the best songs. One of the best albums released so far this year.
