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These New Puritans - Field of Reeds (Review)
Indie | Tuesday 11th June 2013 | James
Some records explode in your eardrums with unfaltering ambition and volume. Some pieces of music embody a brash confidence that says simply “we are here”. Albums of this ilk are often seismic and era-defining, transcending genre to strike chords with the public and place themselves firmly within youth subculture. Not all records are like this though. A lot of groups, especially in the modern age, find themselves releasing slow-burning records which often seem to fly under the public radar despite their breathtaking quality. Southend three-piece These New Puritans sophomore record Hidden (released in 2010) was one of these, mixing woodwind and brass sections to create an art-rock masterpiece which won NME's coveted Album of the Year title on its way to achieving a whole host of gushing reviews.
For frontman Jack Barnett, the follow-up to such a record must be the hardest task possible. Field of Reeds starts beautifully (albeit slowly) with 'This Guy's In Love With You' meandering past innocently with a gospel female vocal and haunting keys. The track is reminiscent of Trent Reznor's work on The Social Network sountrack, but it is probably the only time on the record where These New Puritans sound like another band. For the rest, they tear up the rule book and delve into corners of musicianship that have been so far unexplored in the realm of popular music.
'Fragment Two' is eerily anthemic with piano keys enchanting you as Barnett's voice trips you up with a moody baritone. The track is a masterpiece of layers, revealing more parts with each hypnotic listen. 'The Light In Your Name' hears Barnett swimming for “the river's mouth” and it's a beautifully visceral piece of imagery which washes over you in a sea of metaphor. There is a plethora of imagery concerned with water and nature, which is fitting really, because for the majority of the album Barnett sounds like he is singing at you from the bottom of a lake. The vocals are confused, trapped and dazed.
For instance, 'V (Island Song)' sees Barnett lamenting that “on the island there are no places or people” yet with his delivery it comes across like a creepy children's storyteller. The music continues to grow throughout the record, however, seemingly devoid of convention and expectation. 'Spiral' is a spectral affair which fuses together muffled horns and ludicrously atmosphere-building choir choruses. The song is undoubtedly the record's centrepiece, showing sublime pieces of skill and vision from These New Puritans which you would think had come from minds that were twice the age of Barnett. He is wise beyond his years, if truth be told, yet it is a trait which occasionally lets him down.
'Organ Eternal' takes experimentation a step too far so the track resembles something untenable. You will have skipped it before you can say 'PRETENSION!'. 'Nothing Else', meanwhile, is an eight-minute long fail at abstraction which makes 'Revolution 9' sound clear and vivid. The track is simply too long and too alienating to be enjoyable, with no reward for challenging your ears come the climax. It is a shame because when These New Puritans shine they come across as one of this country's finest craftsmen.
'Dream' features a guest female vocal which is beautifully building, inviting you into her nightmare of uncertainty. The song has a vast scope and highlights the band's ambition with album closer 'Field of Reeds' creeping past to leave a resounding message that These New Puritans are creating some of the most complex music around today. The record is obviously challenging, yet when it strikes a chord with you, there is simply no greater feeling.
Field of Reeds is, without a doubt, an exploration of the self. The album is rich in texture and gives credit to you, should you pay close attention to detail and appreciate the grand overview of the landscape in which it was created. It is a record which will be seen as a masterpiece by These New Puritans fans, but is unlikely to do anything for the casual listener. Some music is just not meant to be casually listened to, in truth. Field of Reeds represents an ever-shifting and all-consuming piece of work which alters what it is from one minute to the next, leaving you bewildered and captured within its claws. Perhaps not as seismic as Hidden but undoubtedly as equally rewarding.
Rating: 9/10
Download: 'Fragment Two', 'Spiral', 'Field of Reeds'
By James Rodger @jamesdrodger
