Looping State of Mind
by The Field
  • Record Label: Kompakt
  • Release Date: Oct 11, 2011
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
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  1. AllMusic
    Dec 5, 2011
    90
    As alluring and dreamlike as anything from Willner's first two full-lengths.
  2. BBC Music
    Oct 6, 2011
    70
    Looping State of Mind barely outstays its welcome, and its beatific state of mind may prove to be a welcome refuge for many more than for the musical vanguard, like Seefeel, that inspired it.
  3. Beats Per Minute
    Oct 6, 2011
    85
    Here he has never sounded more confident and purposeful, building layered and incredibly rich compositions out of his blissful loops that more than justify the length they inhabit.
  5. Blurt Magazine
    Nov 11, 2011
    80
    Given the complex menagerie of moods and movements interpolated amongst the din of this septet of songs, it seems like the man has indeed accomplished his mission.
  6. cokemachineglow
    Oct 5, 2011
    84
    Looping State of Mind both conquers and surpasses the only-so-many-pieces-in-the-box standards of most traditional dance forms by appeasing those crescendo/break/denouement expectations in name only.
  7. Consequence
    Oct 5, 2011
    70
    On the whole, Looping State of Mind is carefully thought out, beautiful in its lofty ambitions, and a refreshing return without any unnecessary sheen and gloss--minimalism that moves.
  8. Drowned In Sound
    Oct 7, 2011
    90
    This is Willner's finest record yet, a composition of effortlessly gorgeous, technically fantastic, genuinely awe-inspiring music.
  9. Dusted Magazine
    Oct 13, 2011
    80
    Looping State of Mind is a bold attempt at fusing The Field's emotive tendencies with something more aggressive, and for the most part, Willner strikes the perfect balance.
  10. Filter
    Oct 20, 2011
    78
    What will catch one's attention are the patterns Axel Willner creates within each song that push the record forward.
  11. Magnet
    Nov 15, 2011
    70
    The inanely literalistic Looping State of Mind magnifies that trend [toward expansionism], offering seven mutations of his trademark sound, in a newly expansive array of tempos. [#82, p. 55]
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  12. musicOMH.com
    Oct 5, 2011
    80
    Fast forward to 2011, and third album Looping State Of Mind is a markedly more complex development of his sound.
  13. New Musical Express (NME)
    Oct 24, 2011
    80
    It's expansively, ecstatically excellent for many of the same reasons as The Field's previous two: blissful, loop-based hymns at the intersection between shoegazing, trance and minimal techno.
  14. No Ripcord
    Oct 5, 2011
    80
    There's nothing here with quite the same catchiness that The Field somehow achieved on the head-nodders A Paw In My Face or The More That I Do, but each track is a fascinating experiment in sound, and this is perhaps his strongest record yet.
  15. Pitchfork
    Oct 5, 2011
    85
    He's brought all his skill to bear on Looping, as composer and arranger and texturologist, in order to build something this simultaneously sweeping and subtle, deep and immediate.
  16. PopMatters
    Oct 28, 2011
    90
    It's the album that vaults him from burgeoning, brilliant protégé to titan in one fell swoop, and it hints at even greater things to come as he continues down the path of total artistic realization.
  17. Q Magazine
    Dec 15, 2011
    80
    Boundless and ecstatic, this is house music at its very best. [Dec. 2001 p. 126]
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  18. Resident Advisor
    Oct 5, 2011
    80
    Not only is Looping State of Mind Willner's most diverse and satisfying statement to date, it's an album that establishes him as one of electronic music's more subtly lateral thinkers.
  19. Spin
    Oct 5, 2011
    80
    The results are even more immersive than the stuttering microhouse rhythms on which he built his reputation originally.
  20. The A.V. Club
    Oct 25, 2011
    91
    The Field knows how to tease until it's practically torturous, while somehow never qualifying for off-putting tags like "difficult" or "experimental."
  21. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Oct 24, 2011
    70
    Willner may not have been able to affect us as deeply and profoundly as he does on Looping State of Mind, showing us not only that he has successfully moved past the confines of his early work, but also that he's presently at the top of his game.
  22. Uncut
    Oct 18, 2011
    80
    Magnificent. [Nov 2011, p.84]
    All this publication's reviews
  23. XLR8r
    Oct 5, 2011
    90
    Looping State of Mind might just be the finest document of his craft yet.

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best Album of 2011
68
#68 Most Shared Album of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. DavidVRJ
    Oct 11, 2011
    10
    It has the sound you'd expect from The Field, only fuller. It's a deeper, more sensational electronic universe that I can't help but beIt has the sound you'd expect from The Field, only fuller. It's a deeper, more sensational electronic universe that I can't help but be drifted away to, even more so than the other two albums. It definitely won't leave you with a feeling of disappointment if you enjoyed the past two albums. I'd definitely say it's the best of the three. Listen to it!… Full Review »
  2. Tintent
    Nov 25, 2011
    8
    Didn't know what to expect as I listened to it as a new release on Spotify. Never heard the earlier albums. Love it. So many levels. Waves ofDidn't know what to expect as I listened to it as a new release on Spotify. Never heard the earlier albums. Love it. So many levels. Waves of sound layered on hypnotic beats. What a foot-tapper.… Full Review »
  3. MorriBey
    Oct 24, 2011
    10
    You can always count on The Field to make a great album. But this even surpasses their previous albums. They have matured and the albumYou can always count on The Field to make a great album. But this even surpasses their previous albums. They have matured and the album appears more confident and assured. Track Arpeggiated Love is a masterpiece. In my Top 5 so far for 2011.… Full Review »
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