Search - Crescent :: By the Roads & The Fields

Slow, sparse, and lo-fi

betsbillabong | 10/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since purchasing this CD a few weeks ago, I've really grown to love it. Though I don't often listen to music to put me to sleep (I listen too hard to it), this one is great for that. Or dark, rainy drives. Homemade instruments, prepared piano, slowly picked guitar, measured drums, monochromatic singing, a brass trio (or quartet?) They're from Bristol, and it shows -- they have that kind of reverby trip-hop texture, but without the beats. I especially appreciate the sense of hope tempered with a slow measured pace found in the song New Leaves. The album was recorded in their home, at a movie theater, and in various other locations -- and that sense of gritty space contributes to their sound. Melancholy, yes; sentimental, not at all. My new favorite record."