- For the most part, the third EP from Rough Fields, AKA Manchester's James Birchall, couldn't get much further from dance music. "Behave" is a lilting acoustic pop song in the vein of Morr Music's less immediately electronic acts, and "Waller's Cut" is three minutes of field-recording hiss and faraway piano. "Edge of the Firelight" is a lovely little incidental piece for shifting drones and limpid electric guitar, with echoes of Gastr Del Sol. (It's so pretty that it could almost be mistaken for slight, but it's more captivating than that—and its high, lonesome chord also reminds me of Shriekback's great "Coelocanth," which earns points in Rough Fields' favor.) And "Manila" extends the shimmery acoustic mood with melodica and glockenspiel. It's also quite lovely, if just as potentially cloying; its emo swells are perfectly suited for a scene in a Wes Anderson film. (That's not necessarily a knock.)
But "The Harbour Wall" makes nice with the dance floor, or at least its peripheries. Understated, rolling pop with canny chord changes and a kind of pointillist disco groove, it recalls both Talk Talk and Metronomy, with a trim, motorik beat that neatly balances its billowing chords and melody. It's perfect as it is, but I can't help wondering what Michael Mayer or John Talabot might do with it. (Or, for that matter, Ewan Pearson.) Anyone want to fund a Kickstarter campaign with me?
Tracklist 01. The Harbour Wall
02. Behave
03. Waller's Cut
04. Edge of the Firelight
05. Manila