Commontime (album)

Commontime
Studio album by Field Music
Released	5 February 2016
Recorded	2015 at FMHQ
Genre	Indie pop, funk
Length	58 minutes
Label	Memphis Industries Records
Producer	Field Music
Field Music chronology
Music For Drifters (2015) Commontime (2016)
Singles from Commontime
"The Noisy Days Are Over" Released: December 2015 "Disappointed" Released: January 2016

Commontime is the sixth full-length studio album by English prog-pop band Field Music, recorded in their Sunderland studio and released on Memphis Industries Records on 5 February 2016 on CD and orange/green-coloured vinyl. The album marks the return of former keyboardist Andrew Moore, in a smaller role, and a shift towards the R&B and funk-like style earlier exhibited on David Brewis's second solo record as School of Language (Old Fears) and "Let's Write a Book" and "A New Town", previous singles by the band.

The album's lyrics were heavily inspired by the new family lives of both brothers since Plumb, with at least two songs being explicitly addressed to the brothers' children ("The Morning Is Waiting" and "Stay Awake"), and it was Peter's son's love of Hall & Oates and American number-one singles that shaped the less fractured, more accessible structure and style of the album. Elsewhere, "Trouble at the Lights" is described as being about Peter Brewis's "dislike of Range Rovers and the political class of people who seem to drive them".^[1]

Lead single, "The Noisy Days Are Over", received a brief endorsement by musician Prince on Twitter.^[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The Times	[4]
The Guardian	[5]
NARC Magazine	[6]
Pitchfork	7.8/10[7]
MOJO	[8]
MancUnion	[9]

The album was well received by most critics, at various times being compared favourably to comparisons to XTC, Genesis, 10cc, ELO, The Neptunes, Todd Rundgren, Talking Heads, Lambchop and Hot Chip^[4][8] whilst also being praised for its qualities original to the band, and the progression and maturation of the Brewis brothers' songwriting style. However, at 58 minutes, some critics felt the album ran too long and verged on repetition, with music blog The Skinny criticising a "lack of diversity"^[10] between tracks.

Accolades

Track listing

All songs written and composed by David and Peter Brewis.

1. "The Noisy Days Are Over" – 6:27
2. "Disappointed" – 3:04
3. "But Not for You" – 3:48
4. "I'm Glad" – 3:44
5. "Don't You Want to Know What's Wrong?" – 3:17
6. "How Should I Know If You've Changed?" – 2:56
7. "Trouble at the Lights" – 5:33
8. "They Want You to Remember" – 3:42
9. "It's a Good Thing" – 4:25
10. "The Morning Is Waiting for You" – 3:56
11. "Indeed It Is" – 3:15
12. "That's Close Enough for Now" – 3:56
13. "Same Name" – 5:45
14. "Stay Awake" – 4:07

Personnel

• Peter Brewis - Field Music
• David Brewis - Field Music
• Andrew Moore - Keys on "The Noisy Days Are Over", "They Want You To Remember" and "That's Close Enough For Now"
• Pete Fraser - Saxophone on "The Noisy Days Are Over"
• Simon Dennis - Trumpets on "The Noisy Days Are Over" and "The Morning Is Waiting For You"
• Liz Corney - Backing vox on "How Should I Know If You've Changed", "It's A Good Thing" and "The Morning Is Waiting For You"
• Jennie Brewis - Backing vox on "How Should I Know If You've Changed", "It's A Good Thing" and "The Morning Is Waiting For You"

The 'Crude Tarmac' String Quartet

• Ed Cross - Violin
• Josephine Montgomery - Violin
• Chrissie Slater - Viola
• Ele Leckie - Cello

Commontime tour live band:

• Kev Dosdale
• Andrew Lowther
• Liz Corney

Charts

References