Tracks and Fields
is a double-disc follow-up to
Kill Rock Stars
' double-disc
Fields and Streams
set from 2002. Much the same as that fine release, this is a roundup of
indie rock
and
pop
bands that either record for
KRS
or make music that float
' boat. The disc plays like a state of the
indie
union address with a nice mix of established acts and up-and-comers and a strong sense of the overall vision and aesthetic that has helped keep
going all these years. Disc one's highlights are a crinkly track from
the Legend!
(
"I'm Not Like That"
), a deeply soulful revamping of
What's Going On
-era
Marvin Gaye
by
His Name Is Alive
"Peace in Detroit"
), the starkly beautiful
"Eric's Song"
from
Cynthia Dall
, the storming
"Pink 14"
Billy Childish
's
Buff Medways
, the cute
new wave
of
the Charades
"The Only One"
), and the nasty
garage
blues
Total Sound Group Direct Action Committee
"Wake Me When I'm Over"
). Disc two holds many pleasures as well, like
Biography of Ferns
' epic
Pastels
/
Television Personalities
-influenced
"John the Barber,"
Measles Mumps Rubella
's glittery
disco
-
funk
"Fantastic Success II,"
the
lo-fi
demo of
Devendra O Banhart
"Poughkeepsi,"
Nedelle
's soulful
folk
"Begin to Breathe"
), a stunning acoustic take of
"Golden Cloud"
space rock
stalwarts
Dead Meadow
, and a sweet
country
tune from the heavily hyped (deservedly so)
Decemberists
"Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn Out Right"
). Some songs -- but only a handful -- aren't quite up to the level of the rest, and are not enough to drag the collection down. Anyone who wants to get a feel for beneath-the-radar
in 2004 should seek this out. ~ Tim Sendra