Tones Of Town
by Field Music
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. AllMusic
    80
    Tones of Town cements Field Music's place as one of the best pop bands of any kind operating in 2007.
  2. Pitchfork
    73
    Tones of Town may lack the swooning immediacy of its predecessor, but it still sounds like a labor of love.
  3. Uncut
    90
    They're now a glorious band. [Feb 2007, p.76]
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  5. PopMatters
    70
    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.
  6. Mojo
    90
    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]
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  7. Q Magazine
    80
    A great leap forward. [Jan 2007, p.148]
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  8. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    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]
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  9. musicOMH.com
    80
    They're bright, breezy, accomplished and catchy, indie-pop at its best.
  10. Under The Radar
    90
    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]
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  11. The Guardian
    80
    The mood is joyfully confident, the sunshine-pop and dreamy harmonies as seamless as the carefully constructed ideas that lay behind them.
  12. Drowned In Sound
    100
    It’s unpredictable, ridiculously clever, catchy as hell and as perfect a pop album as you’re ever likely to hear.
  13. The A.V. Club
    75
    Tones Of Town sounds genuinely confident, like the band learned to focus more after its 2005 debut.
  14. Paste Magazine
    80
    The band doesn't vary its approach much for record number two. [Mar 2007, p.63]
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  15. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    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]
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  16. Tiny Mix Tapes
    90
    The more I listen to Tones of Town, the more I can’t get it out of my head.
  17. No Ripcord
    80
    You absolutely, positively cannot go wrong buying this one.
  18. Austin Chronicle
    67
    The real glory is in watching the trio pull it all off live, perfect harmonies and all.
  19. cokemachineglow
    81
    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.
  20. Dot Music
    70
    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.
  21. The Boston Phoenix
    75
    Loaded with the sort of multi-tiered melodies you find in the early work of XTC.
  22. Playlouder
    90
    It's not overestimating matters to call 'Tones of Town' a timeless masterpiece.
  23. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    Tones of Town finds Field Music... hurling themselves into an abyss of pastoral abstraction with a wholeheartedness that is utterly thrilling.
  24. Hot Press
    80
    Beautiful, but never callow, here is an album to fall slowly in love with.
  25. BBC collective
    80
    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.

Awards & Rankings

54
#54 Best Album of 2007

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 36
  3. Negative: 2 out of 36
  1. Roco
    May 12, 2007
    10
    Wonderful from start to finish!
  2. MikeM
    May 11, 2007
    2
    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 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...… Full Review »
  3. EpicC
    May 5, 2007
    10
    Solid and overall just plain fun. Really upbeat and with lots of great hooks and melodies. I highly recommend!
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