• Record Label: Mute
  • Release Date: Sep 14, 2010
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. Dec 21, 2010
    74
    They may not yet have a strong enough aesthetic to make a great album, but they've made a unique, highly promising one that might soon create something which can bring Gonzalez's academics into the realm of something softer. In the way his best songs and covers were, and still could be.
  2. Oct 27, 2010
    80
    Fields, the third release and first full-length album from the Swedish trio Junip, both meets and defies expectations.
  3. A record that doesn't deviate from what the listener might have already expected from an artist might not sound like an engaging one, but Fields most certainly is.
  4. 70
    Fleshed out with sinister synths and laid-back drums, the Swedish folkie's songs breathe and groove like never before.
  5. Earthy, enigmatic and possessed of a refreshing lightness of touch.
  6. That surprising lack of offensiveness, though, isn't replaced with anything to particularly excite, leaving it a tasteful aural curtain of an album without much of a view beyond.
  7. On the other hand, Fields' dearth of surprises makes it a little disappointing even for those with more conventional tastes -- listeners who generally value stuff like quality and consistency more than the shock of the new.
  8. This is an album to savour when autumn leaves are falling--and through the rest of the year, too.
  9. Accented by González's charming harmonies, close-mic'ed guitar work and Winterkorn's hazy, retro synths, the album is a headphones record that reveals new depth with every listen.
  10. Fields is intriguing in a low-key way that grows with repeated listening and will make Gonzalez fans into Junip fans.
  11. Gonzalez's classical guitar and weightless tenor float over soul jazz, Afrobeat, Ethiopian funk and krautrock, and the lyrics touch on spirituality and self-realization.
  12. This is a Junip record, but it's hard not to see Fields as another solid entry in Jose Gonzalez's discography, and a fitting next step in a lot of ways.
  13. Gonzalez rarely writes full, indelible songs, but he's great at building enticing fragments into lasting moments.
  14. Under The Radar
    70
    Even with Gonzalez windy guitar strums taking a definitive backseat, Gonzalez purists will not be able to resist the charms of his friends in Junip. [Summer 2010, p.79]
  15. Mojo
    80
    It's been worth the wait. [Oct 2010, p.103]
  16. Q Magazine
    80
    Fans of Gonzalez's intimate solo bedroom folk may be taken aback by the kaleidoscopic bells and whistles of Fields, but the rest of us should be thankful the sales of those two previous releases have given Gonzalez andd his mates the freedom to indulge every whim. [Oct 2010, p.109]
  17. Uncut
    60
    Gonzalez's cooing voice tends to sing the same pentatonic scale over the same minor chords on every song, which does make things a little repetitive. [Oct 2010, p.98]
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. ck1
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    This album is amazing. The songs are very relaxed and laid back, but also very good. If you are an idie fan, you will like Fields! If I wereThis album is amazing. The songs are very relaxed and laid back, but also very good. If you are an idie fan, you will like Fields! If I were to compare them with someone, I would say they kind of sound like Bon Iver and Iron and Wine. Full Review »