I swear it's becoming some kind of ritual that I'm forced to write about how The Militia Group just don't release bad records. I sometimes wonder just how they manage to find all these amazing bands. The Class of 98 rocked my world in late '05, but it's their new labelmates in Fielding who have taken their place in the Punktastic stereo. Imagine Death Cab taking on 'Guilt Show'-era The Get Up Kids, maybe throw in some mid-90s Brit-pop influences and you have a gorgeous concoction that will have you singing along for hours and hours. This is one lovely record.
The dual male/female vocals trade off so, so well. The lo-fi tone of each song allows the vocals to take control - they are the main instruments here and on 'The Giant' and 'Lampshade' everything that seems to go on around the vocals almost seems superfluous. The melodies are top notch and both songs would fit snugly on The OC at a particularly tender moment. It's becoming a cliche I know to use the TV show as a popular culture refrence point, but I feel it's an easy comparison to make.
What makes Fielding stand out from the pack is their willingness to mix their instruments up a little. There are delicate layers of piano, organ, strings and accordion, making songs like 'OK, Alright' and the choppy 'Legless' sound interesting and fun. Even the slower tracks here hold your interest in the long term, with 'June 5' in particular quite introspective. The Militia Group's CDs have consistently been excellent and this one is no different. Well worth checking out, it appears TMG have no plans to let up on the quality side in 2006.
www.fieldingland.com
The Militia Group
Paul
