The Field Mice: Cl*ss*c Or D*d

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If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I'm listening to the Field Mice and they're bugging me. Do they do that to you too?

― Tom, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, not really. Listening to them constantly while wearing tight black sweaters and making sure your haircut is just sensitive enough while crying into your ragged but honest daily journal, *that* would bug me. As a pleasant listen every so often, though, I like 'em.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

not sure i'd go quite as far as classic, but they were damn good (if you need someone, below the stars and quicksilver all brilliant)

the another sunny day album is very good too. some kind of side project thingy.

do they bug me? no, not really, but then that might be due to my tight black sweater and sensitive haircut. no journal, though...

― gareth, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

They annoy me more as time passes, but still classic, even if they'd never done anything else except Emma's House. Which they have of course, and while much of it is overly twee even for me, much of it is very very good indeed.

― Ally C, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dud. As are Trembling Blue Stars which was just slightly more boring and whiny. I mean it's obviously supposed to be low-key and melancholy but it's dull. Oh and the Shoestrings spring to mind as well. Off-key voices trying to be oh so sensitive. Riddled with nostalgia. eewwww....

― Audrey, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

classic. only because his pathos seems more real than most others considering all of his songs are basically autobiographical and fairly obvious. also classic for creating his own genre 'stalker pop' with two trembling blue stars records about his ex.

― keith, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

tricky. deliriously fine tunes frequently sabotaged by nauseatingly cloying emotional stodge.i absoultely loathed them at the time despite worrying indiepop predilictions, but now i find them oddly charming.a bit too staid & pedestrian to qualify for classic, undeniably a treat for those who like that kind of thing.

― cw, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Though I've heard of them, I never bothered to check them out because Everett True praised them to the skies.

His writing tended to have that effect on me.

― Nicole, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I got a bollocking over a Frank and Walters; clasic or dud....and now this???Field Mice??...I wont even answer that one..

― Michael Bourke, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two weeks pass...

about half of the field mice songs are real classic but the experiments with electronic sounds wasn´t very good.

stalker pop haha... it´s true

― Jens, Tuesday, 10 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

like evrything else on Sarah Records absolute garbage.Bin everything they ever recorded....

― cockney red, Sunday, 20 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

Classic. Classic. Classic. The Field Mice are the missing link between The Smiths and Belle and Sebastian. Probably the most gorgeous of all unsuccessful bands. Indiepop in perfection. Sensitive is their chef d'oeuvre. Sublime guitar rhythms. And they had different faces. Of course the romantic guitar phase in the beginning but also the dance beat phase at the end which is less convincing. There they sound like a hybrid of New Order and The Orb. I also love the open and frank lyrics (mostly love songs) by Robert Wratten. It reminds me of Neil Young who once said: My life is an open book, you can read it on the radio.

― alex in mainhattan, Tuesday, 17 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I love a lot of things about the Field Mice, but as Tim Hopkins has said elsewhere, the lyrics to 'Sensitive' are fairly repugnant.

― Nick, Tuesday, 17 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

whilst they seem to be remembered for "sensitive" and "emma's house", most of their more experimental and electronic recordings work just as well. after all, whilst they were far from being the greatest electronic band of the time, they weren't really a particularly strong guitar band either. the point is that none of this mattered, because with the field mice the music was always less important than the lyrics.

blueboy and heavenly were certainly better bands on paper, but wratten's honest and personal approach to songwriting lifted the field mice above themselves.

i can understand why people would hate the band - not everyone wants to subject themselves to that level of emotional involvement. there are some songs, particularly "and before the first kiss", that i simply cannot listen to, for fear of being caught up in the emotional turmoil.

conversely, on the occasions when the tone is more upbeat the results are as uplifting as anything this side of the theme from shaft. "coach station reunion" makes me happy, and that in itself is enough to makes me declare the field mice CLASSIC.

― kevan, Tuesday, 17 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Classic to me... I think that Missing the Moon is still fresh, as is New Order's Perfect Kiss (perhaps where they got the idea in the first place). I think that attributing them as the missing link between the Smiths and Belle&Seb is rather cringing for me to think about it that way... perhaps the missing link between New Order and... Hood? tFM experimented much more greatly than New Order, and worried more about textures as well... but not quite like Hood (especially on Home Is Where It Hurts EP -- just a fab record!)

― fernando, Tuesday, 17 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Looking back The Field Mice were more heavily influenced by New Order than virtually anyone else, and I agree that placing them between The Smiths and B&S feels wrong. B&S seem to me to have next to nothing to do with the Field Mice or indeed anything Bob Wratten's ever done: it has always struck me as odd the way TBS and B&S are somehow coupled together as the twin godheads of twee pop when they seem to me to have about as much in common with each other as Disco Inferno and Butterfly Child do. I'm not sure about Hood's position in the scheme of things. I'd guess that they'd deny any Field Mice comparisions, but I can't really think of a better modern band to finish off the lineage.

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Tuesday, 17 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Richard - I placed The Field Mice between The Smiths and B&S as I find lots of parallels. All three bands are making melancholic melodic pop music. The lyrics are quite important. The lyrics are often clever (esp. the Smiths) but also very emotional (esp. The Field Mice) and adolescent-ish. All three singers have a very distinct slightly effeminate voice. They are all from the UK indie scene. All three bands have a very distinctive sound which you can recognise immediately. I love all of them, I guess they are classics of indie music.

― alex in mainhattan, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

TBS and B&S are somehow coupled together as the twin godheads of twee pop when they seem to me to have about as much in common with each other as Disco Inferno and Butterfly Child do.

I don't know Butterfly Child at all, but... since it's often me doing the comparing, I'll tell you why:

1) it is based on TBS's live shows, rather than their recorded output. Their recorded output is slightly less twee and more listenable except for the fact of

2) Commonality of "I didn't need to know that..." aspect of far too much lyrical sharing. Bob Wratten does it on a far more raw and (to me) unlistenable level, while the B&Sers tend to wrap it in layers of irony and sarcasm. But still.

Far prefer the Field Mice to the TBS, BTW.

― masonic boom, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

six months pass...

Reading the AMG review of Where'd You Learn to Kiss that Way? I am amazed. Jason Ankeny says "in retrospect the Field Mice now seem like the missing link between the Smiths and Belle & Sebastian". Upthread I exactly wrote that. So who copied whom? Maybe we just had the same idea independent from each other.

― alex in mainhattan, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

shows what a shithole bristol was then eh? thank fuck for massive attak wipe out all this crap sara records shit down the plughol were it belongs.

― XStatic Peace, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No missing link needed. Red herring.

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

that really is the last word in pith.

― cw, Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

am I allowed to confess that I’m not sure how the lyrics to “sensitive” are repugnant ? morally ? i always found it their most complete lyric... though I can see that grammatically the syntax of their own that the field mice invented can verge on the surreal (especially “fab friend” & “song 6”)… thought it was worth mentioning that I always thought the fieldmice were most obviously in the lineage of new order (last 2 mins of missing the moon gives that away), but if you listen to the wake’s “here comes everybody” that’s where the question of their historical antecedents really seems to start to fall into place. I love both B&S and hood but musically can see no correlation at all while in terms of ambition, only the hood comparison stands up….

― kieron, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

Dud, except for a few songs, notably "Emma's House"--which is just perfect.

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 7 August 2003 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Liking one or two Field Mice songs and not any others seems very odd to me, much odder than liking none.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 7 August 2003 21:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Do they seem all of a piece to you?

I suppose it's more that I can only take a bit of them at a time, so I generally lock on the few songs that seem strong enough to transcend the often overbearing vocal treatment. I also don't think much of their Human League-esque electronic things although they're listenable.

"Emma's House" does sort of seem sui generis though, I could easily see someone liking that song and that song only. That person might be me, eventually.

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 7 August 2003 21:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Also "Emma's House" is one of the few F.M. songs that allows the emotions to emerge from the scenario, rather than detailing the emotions in deadening clinical terms or obvious metaphors.

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 7 August 2003 21:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Songs I kind of like: If You Need Someone, Fabulous Friend, End of the Affair....

Overall F.M. strike me as a WRONG reaction to music currents of the late '80s. Or at leasta profoundly reactionary one, sort of a dead end. That doesn't mean it didn't produce some good music.

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 7 August 2003 21:55 (twenty-two years ago)

No they don't seem all of a piece Ams (I have a favourite FM song for instance) but they're one of those bands which I think I judge by their overall emotional aesthetic or 'vision' or something like that so when I'm in sync with that I think "yes the Field Mice are great" without having to think about individual songs. And otherwise I tnink "there is no way in hell I want to listen to anything by the Field Mice".

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 7 August 2003 21:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Emma's House is classic. If simply for the refrain, "why do we call it Emma's house...?"

― David. (Cozen), Thursday, 7 August 2003 21:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Tom I think we're articulating two ways of dealing with a similar sort of ambivalence.

David: yeah, that's a great line. It reminds me of driving around my home town or college town... physically everything is the same but emotionally all there are, are ghosts and memories. I think it's that sense of transience that makes the song stirring. Although I mostly like it because it's a very concise and self-confident pop song, sort of summarizes the (modest) virtues of the genre without being beholden to them.

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 7 August 2003 22:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I also like how the vocal line seems to wait patiently for the chord changes instead of leading the way.

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 7 August 2003 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

jeez, this is an old thread. the field mice were fantastic, virtually their entire catalog is high quality song-wise, in fact i could probably sing you every song. the comp on Shinkansen is probably one of the most satisfying band retrospectives ever. TBS, as much as i like them, pale in comparison.

Also "Emma's House" is one of the few F.M. songs that allows the emotions to emerge from the scenario, rather than detailing the emotions in deadening clinical terms or obvious metaphors.

how much FM have you actually heard? because i don't think you have any idea what you're talking about.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 8 August 2003 00:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I have all their records! (Well, had. I sold everything but the comp you speak of.)

Way to be diplomatic, Jim.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 8 August 2003 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm not in a very charitable mood at the moment. i find your opinions endlessly frustrating because you always seem to be hovering on the periphery of offering an opinion i could agree with.. i honestly don't think i've encountered anyone who interprets music more differently to me. i feel like i'm trying to understand something that would require a gestalt switch i'm not prepared to make.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 8 August 2003 00:19 (twenty-two years ago)

classic

― nnnh oh oh nnnh nnnh oh (James Blount), Friday, 8 August 2003 00:41 (twenty-two years ago)

a thousand times classic. rock n' roll sees the field mice when it looks in the mirror and backs away in disgust.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Friday, 8 August 2003 01:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I pulled out their compilation a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it. I'd had it for a while but hadn't listened to it much. I was thinking "now I 'get' them" until I read Kevan's post and realized I don't remember any of the lyrics. It was more cos of the overall sound that I changed my mind. By FM maybe amateurist meant British FM, pop songs in the traditional sense, not stuff we hear on FM in the US (maybe in the UK) today. I can see how they'd be an ideal version of that, not too obtrusive. Funny thing is it seems anti-industry, not Brill Building pop, or maybe a vast cottage industry of people making their own stuff more or less according to their interpretation of a standard. (It's weird that Beatles pop but not Britney pop seems to allow for that.) Maybe we (in the US) value not being shouty more than people in the UK cos what's on the radio there is less like that, or there's a balance.

― youn, Friday, 8 August 2003 05:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmmm. Not exactly sure what you mean. I don't have any history hearing the FM outside of the records my friends taped for me and the albums I bought. I don't know how it might have sounded on the radio ca. 1988.

I suppose one problem I have with FM is how determinedly not-shouty it is, or rather how simpleminded is their solution to that perceived problem.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 8 August 2003 05:49 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't work out if he's talking about Field Mice or Frequency Modulation

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 8 August 2003 05:53 (twenty-two years ago)

No wonder the last few posts have bewildered me a bit.

By "FM" I mean Field Mice, without exception. I've never heard them on the radio!

I wonder how this thread would've progressed if the confusion continued...??

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 8 August 2003 05:54 (twenty-two years ago)

heaven only knows..

is it fair to say that the FMs were one of the 'indie-dance' pioneers? and if so is this something to be proud of?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 8 August 2003 05:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Not exactly sure what you mean.... Depends on when you date "indie" for one thing (or do you mean "indie pop"--a label that didn't exist then to my knowledge). They certainly incorporate New Order-like synth/syndrum textures into a number of records, but it seems more dance music-informed than actual dance music.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:01 (twenty-two years ago)

did they do a record with her out of st etienne?

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:01 (twenty-two years ago)

St. Etienne covered "Kiss and Make Up".... But did they do anything with Sarah Crackers? I dunno.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:04 (twenty-two years ago)

no, but as i recall two of the FMs contributed to a StEt song (which may have indeed been their version of "Kiss and make up")

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:05 (twenty-two years ago)

(xp)

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Depends on when you date "indie" for one thing

well what i'm getting at is that i think they pre-dated all that Madchester/"indie dance" nonsense (back when "indie dance" wasn't really dance at all)

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Now I'm out of my depth...

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Their shift into electronics was roughly concurrent with the Madchester thing, but postdates "W.F.L." which is probably the 'birth' of indie-dance.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 172 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I've been listening to these guys a lot again lately, and the notion occurred to me that they remain sort of one of the last great undiscovered bands. Like, there's no reason more people shouldn't know of them or love them, fans of other acts like B&S or the Smiths or New Order or whatever, but I'm under the impression they're less known than even a band like the Go-Betweens. Did they ever get much traction at the time? Am I completely misinformed, and in fact the Field Mice are wildly popular/well-known?

― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 2 February 2013 20:38 (twelve years ago)

And, wow, are those Sub Pop TBS albums really out of print?

― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 2 February 2013 20:39 (twelve years ago)

At the time, the Field Mice were the most high profile Sarah Records band - but that's not saying much - but the music papers were generally negative about them, with the exception of two or three journalists per paper (Bob Stanley, Dave Simpson, Everett True, Ian Watson). They were known about, but rarely heard except on John Peel's show. So..hope that answers your question, at least from a British viewpoint.

― Rob M Revisited, Saturday, 2 February 2013 21:15 (twelve years ago)

for a very small group of people - mainly in England but I knew some people in Cambridge/Somerville who were head over heels about Sarah records & the Field Mice in particular - they loomed very large. That TBS Sub Pop album is a high point to my ears, the songwriting on it is top shelf. I mean they basically do the one thing, imo, whether it's the Field Mice or TBS, but when it's on and that's what you need, it's pretty perfect.

― available for sporting events (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Saturday, 2 February 2013 22:36 (twelve years ago)

Cambridge/Somerville

I wonder if we're thinking of the same people!

This is my fave thing he's ever done (which may be yours, too!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCPbr8iLXE8:

― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 2 February 2013 22:39 (twelve years ago)

that is indeed one of the all-time jams imo

― available for sporting events (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Saturday, 2 February 2013 22:42 (twelve years ago)

three months pass...

i wonder how many people in the world would list "when morning comes to town" as their favorite song. 20,000? less? i wouldn't be a part of this group but i can definitely sympathize with their viewpoint. i love this sarah records stuff.

― Treeship, Monday, 27 May 2013 06:47 (twelve years ago)

It might not be my favorite song but it's my favorite Field Mice-song with some margin, probably followed by Emma's House or "This Love is not Wrong. These are top, top tunes.

― Mule, Monday, 27 May 2013 10:54 (twelve years ago)

one year passes...

as someone with an almost pathological dislike of anything indie or twee, i always assumed the field mice would be the nadir of that genre. "emma's house" ticks almost every single box of things i dislike in music yet i have been unable to stop listening to it recently. "triangle" is great too. i'm almost afraid to listen to any more in case my entire belief system inplodes.

― stirmonster, Sunday, 15 March 2015 04:36 (ten years ago)

implodes.

― stirmonster, Sunday, 15 March 2015 04:37 (ten years ago)

Someone buy the Sarah catalog and reissue it already.

― brotherlovesdub, Sunday, 15 March 2015 21:11 (ten years ago)

Are the LTM reissues from 10 years ago out of print?

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Sunday, 15 March 2015 21:18 (ten years ago)

love the field mice! i have two copies of that complete two cd thing. just in case!

― scott seward, Sunday, 15 March 2015 21:20 (ten years ago)

quite a few sarah things have been popping up digitally in recent days, the orchids and blueboy singles among them

― don't ask me why i posted this (electricsound), Sunday, 15 March 2015 22:09 (ten years ago)

Wratton/the Field Mice are pretty special. I can totally conceive of a person liking them and still thinking indie was, otherwise, no damn good.

― The Complainte of Ray Tabano, Monday, 16 March 2015 00:45 (ten years ago)

four months pass...

Finally bit the bullet and bought The Field Mice catalog on vinyl since I'm weary of them every reissuing them on vinyl (now would be the time since the documentary is out). I have an extra copy of Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way up for grabs if anybody wants to trade. In search of Alaska or any of the singles from Northern Picture Library on vinyl.

― brotherlovesdub, Thursday, 30 July 2015 04:14 (ten years ago)

Didn't see Gerald's response to my reissue cry 4 months ago, but yeah, bought the LTM reissues for Field Mice and NPL, but I want them on all vinyl. The Sarah Records story is pretty interesting and the original vinyl artifacts are cool to have.

― brotherlovesdub, Thursday, 30 July 2015 04:38 (ten years ago)

six years pass...

Loving this Field Mice related record
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2YM217Bhf4

― JacobSanders, Saturday, 22 January 2022 16:59 (three years ago)

It is indeed a fine album. Probably my most played of 2020.

― get shrunk by this funk. (Austin), Saturday, 22 January 2022 17:29 (three years ago)

Huh, I don't know these guys. So they have some connection to Trembling Blue Stars?

― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 22 January 2022 17:45 (three years ago)

https://www.discogs.com/artist/3798108-The-Luxembourg-Signal

― get shrunk by this funk. (Austin), Saturday, 22 January 2022 18:20 (three years ago)

bobby wratten stole the show on their second album. this might as well be a field mice song from the vaults:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUV_Ciq2nsI

("fall feeling")

― get shrunk by this funk. (Austin), Saturday, 22 January 2022 18:22 (three years ago)

Related, this is interesting:

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2022/01/twee-fashion-indie-music-industry-sarah-records

― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 23 January 2022 13:48 (three years ago)

skimmed. nothing revelatory to me, but cool piece nonetheless.

― get shrunk by this funk. (Austin), Sunday, 23 January 2022 16:42 (three years ago)

thanks for sharing, btw. good stuff.

― get shrunk by this funk. (Austin), Sunday, 23 January 2022 16:43 (three years ago)

New Twilight Hour LP called 'Overwintering' coming soon

― Stop the tape I got spittle all over my moustache. (Talcum Mucker), Sunday, 23 January 2022 16:46 (three years ago)

wonderful news! i deleted my instagram and that was my source for updates on them, so thank you for posting! definitely been on my wish list for some time.

i also posted it on the trembling blue stars thread, but here's bobby's ambient cassette-only thing (released under the liath name) from 2017: quiet actions.

― get shrunk by this funk. (Austin), Sunday, 23 January 2022 17:01 (three years ago)

one year passes...

this is the most head-over-heels-in-love first listen I've had for any band in a long time, what the fuck

― imago, Sunday, 17 December 2023 22:18 (two years ago)

did you start listening to them because of the mouse murder thread, as an act of solidarity

― 🍍🥧 (cat), Sunday, 17 December 2023 22:46 (two years ago)

No results found for "the killing field mice".

― 🍍🥧 (cat), Sunday, 17 December 2023 23:00 (two years ago)

"Emma's House" over and over

Also "White"

― Evan, Sunday, 17 December 2023 23:11 (two years ago)

"the killing field mice" omg

someone I'm pals with on RYM made a list of essential tweepop and put their big 1998 compilation on it. The first half of Disc 1 is amazing

― imago, Sunday, 17 December 2023 23:27 (two years ago)

they are wonderful. so are trembling blue stars, I think some of the songwriting there hits new heights for him but there's something special about the field mice

― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Monday, 18 December 2023 03:37 (two years ago)

LJ may I recommend the twee Coil stylings of "Humblebee" (IIRC not on that comp)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVNWnn67X8c

― etc, Monday, 18 December 2023 20:48 (two years ago)

Thanks, will try shortly!

I liked Disc 2 almost even more than Disc 1 in the end, there's some fantastic stuff buried deep within it. Always runs the risk of getting stuck in a sort of corny trance but there's so much lovely work throughout. The bassist is a hero

― imago, Monday, 18 December 2023 20:59 (two years ago)

They are synonymous with twee in many circles, but there is so much more to them than that.

― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:02 (two years ago)

Absolutely. There's some serious (and highly varied) pastoral evocation going on here

― imago, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:05 (two years ago)

holland street is a dazzling instrumental

― brimstead, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:22 (two years ago)

i adore "missing the moon" but i've never really dug into them beyond that

― ufo, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:33 (two years ago)

“letting go” is really gorgeous and dreamy too, I don’t think it’s on the Shinkansen comp.

― brimstead, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:40 (two years ago)

"Other Galaxies" is pretty epic by their standards, and only shows up on a Waaah! comp if I recall. They also recorded a version of Loop's "Burning Sky" for a Waaah! flexidisc. There could be an amazing collection of experimental stuff by The Field Mice in which the word "twee" dare not be spoken.

― henry s, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:48 (two years ago)

only field mice I own is For Keeps and it has such an inventive and surprising mix of styles, much more than I expected from their twee rep

― the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 18 December 2023 21:50 (two years ago)

I'm not super familiar with the Field Mice catalog but "Fabulous Friend" sounds like it came straight off of R.E.M.'s Reckoning, which is a very good thing in my book.

― The king of the demo (bernard snowy), Monday, 18 December 2023 21:56 (two years ago)

Too many people here need to explore more it seems

― Evan, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:56 (two years ago)

this song from a Peel Session is so good, v New Orderish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_27IUnBk1o

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Monday, 18 December 2023 22:13 (two years ago)

holland street is a dazzling instrumental

― brimstead, Monday, 18 December 2023 21:22 (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

this one absolutely leapt out at me yeah

― imago, Monday, 18 December 2023 22:39 (two years ago)

Humblebee was lovely ty!

― imago, Monday, 18 December 2023 22:47 (two years ago)

ditto Anoint

― imago, Monday, 18 December 2023 22:53 (two years ago)

"Below The Stars" has a lovely Lazer Guided Melodies vibe. More of this sort of thing please!

― The king of the demo (bernard snowy), Tuesday, 19 December 2023 19:24 (two years ago)

Another obscure good one, originally given away on vinyl with Bob Stanley’s old Caff zine. Goes for a small fortune nowadays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYsMIDKeMCI

― piscesx, Wednesday, 20 December 2023 13:26 (two years ago)

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