''Fields'' is the debut LP by Swedish-based
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band
Junip
Junip is a Sweden, Swedish folk rock band. The band is made up of the duo of José González (singer), José González (Singing, vocals, guitars) and Tobias Winterkorn (Organ (music), organ, Moog synthesizer) with various accompanying musicians in ...
.
Critical reception
''Fields'' received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a metascore of 75, based on 17 reviews.
[ '' URB'' found that "the record is consistent and avoids becoming boring and repetitive", and that the album "is all about quality over quantity."][ At '']American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'', Davis Inman vowed that "''Fields'' unfolds in a whole new light."[ Jim Farber of '' Daily News'' commented that the release "has a touch of the otherworldly, offering the kind of glowing sound you could float away on" that he called "smart, gorgeous and sublimely sexy."][ At '']The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Caroline Sullivan highlighted that "this is an album to savour when autumn leaves are falling – and through the rest of the year, too."[ Kevin Ritchie of '']Now
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Now ...
'' called the album a "heady, satisfying listen" that is a release that "is a headphones record that reveals new depth with every listen."[ Heather Phares of ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
found the release to be "intriguing in a low-key way that grows with repeated listening".[ At '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', Will Hermes
Will Hermes (born December 27, 1960 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City) is an American author, broadcaster, journalist and critic who has written extensively about popular music. He is a longtime contributor to ''Rolling Stone'' and to National Pu ...
evoked that the album "is seductive, especially his covers", and affirmed that "the grooves are all about losing yourself."[
''QRO Magazines'' Ted Chase rated the album an 8/10, and wrote the album goes for a "more for a singular, magical, natural style", and it is "tranquil and touching, but also still with the air of loss".] Amy Granzin of Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
rated the album a 7.5/10, and told that the release has a "dearth of surprises makes it a little disappointing even for those with more conventional tastes-- listeners who generally value stuff like quality and consistency more than the shock of the new." Anna Wilson of Clash rated the album a 7/10, and called the album an "earthy, enigmatic and possessed of a refreshing lightness of touch." At ''Loud and Quiet
''Loud and Quiet'' is a British bi-monthly music magazine that focuses on new music from underground indie, alternative, electronic and hip hop artists.
History and profile
The magazine was founded in January 2005 by Stuart Stubbs as a home-print ...
'', Danielle Goldstein rated that album a 7/10, and found that without the break the album "may not have given them time to hone these deep and intricate stylings." At ''SPIN
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'', Josh Modell rated the album 7 out of 10, and called the album "hushed, pretty, acoustic, melancholy", which he noted "it's just as exhilarating as his gorgeous solo work" because the release contains some "folkie's songs breathe and groove like never before." ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
s Noel Murray graded the album a B, and found the album to be "a more polished effort that fills out Junip’s sound, adding electronic enhancements and trippy trappings", yet the artist "rarely writes full, indelible songs, but he’s great at building enticing fragments into lasting moments."
However, Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
's Drew Litowitz alluded to how "there's just something, if not a few things, missing from this music", and this is because "''Fields'' is bursting with skittish rhythm and pretty strums, it feels horribly monotonous."[ David Welsh of ]musicOMH
MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.
History
MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
stated that due to the "dark acoustica" aspects to their music that the listener will be on a journey that "eventually wears a little thin."[ ]PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
' Matthew Fiander rated the album a 6/10, and said that "it’s hard not to see ''Fields'' as another solid entry in Jose Gonzalez’s discography, and a fitting next step in a lot of ways." At ''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', Emily Mackay rated the album a 5/10, noted "that surprising lack of offensiveness, though, isn't replaced with anything to particularly excite, leaving it a tasteful aural curtain of an album without much of a view beyond.
Track listing
All tracks written by Junip
Limited edition
A 3-disc limited edition was also released.
Disc 2: Rope & Summit EP
The first four songs were originally released on the Rope & Summit EP, while the latter two were previously unreleased.
Disc 3:
Black Refuge EP
''Black Refuge EP'' is the second EP released by Swedish band Junip. It is composed of mostly original songs, but also includes a cover of Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad (song), The Ghost of Tom Joad".
Track listing ...
Personnel
*Junip:
** José González - guitar, vocals, production
**Elias Araya - drums, production
**Tobias Winterkorn - keys, synths, production
*Erik Bodin - tambourine (1)
*Joel Westberg - percussion (2)
*Don Alstherberg - bass (2,4,11), production, recording, mixing, mastering
*Hans Olsson - mastering
References
{{Authority control
2010 debut albums
Junip albums
Mute Records albums