7 tracks
All Music Written & Performed by Burn the Fields
More information at
http://www.burnthefields.com/
The Review
An amalgam of Mid-Atlantic rock veterans, Burn the Fields breaks onto the scene with a bizarre disdain for each members existing notoreity: they've each allowed themselves to be identified only by a pseudonym, and then only if fans seek more information at their website. Upon reflection of this, it seems that the band is making a genuine statement that they are a
new band, regardless of how well-known the musicians might be.
The self-titled debut follows the classic new band formula: generate a reasonable buzz with well-received live shows and release a brief EP to support the club scene shows.
"Brief" is an operative word for the disc. Clocking in at under 20 minutes, it serves as a decent sampler of the band's onstage repertory. That repertory largely consists of agressive alternative rock, and the deviation from that is minimal. Even at 20 minutes the formula is relatively clear: big intro, verse, bridge, chorus, transition, repeat. The vamping is borderline excessive, but the songs don't get boring because of it. While the musicianship is most definitely proficient, it doesn't come off as particularly imaginative - sticking to a straight-ahead style. Vocals are out front, bass gives the bottom of the chords, guitars bridge rhythm and melody, drums provide the push, don't bog it down with solos.
The subject matter of the disc is pretty dreary. Somewhat atypical in style of the typical upstart group they seem to be emulating, Burn the Fields nonetheless does a more tasteful job of sticking it to the Man ("Men Not Gods"), and expressing frustration with those in power ("Repeat Offender", "Deja You"). "Those in power" typically dwells on the underlying theme of abuse of power, with frequent allusions to losses caused by war, particularly wars of the "false pretenses" variety.
Production is uninspiringly smooth on the EP. Burn the Fields has an agressive style that isn't served well by the heavily compressed format of today's modern rock. The vocals are given a sheen that removes a lot of the ferocity, and the while it's obvious that the instrumental tracks are doing their job, they simply aren't enhancing the songs by any means. The production deficits are made most noticeable on the final track, where decisively more interesting mixing at the intro make the rest of the tracks feel bland by comparison.
High Points: "Escape Artist", "Men Not Gods"
Who Will Like It?: Fans and collectors of the various members of the bands probably won't want to miss this disc. Additionally, fans of straight-ahead rock will likely see it as a good way to help shorten a 20 minute commute to work.
Who Won't? : This disc doesn't offer much for fans of genres that aren't alternative rock. It doesn't attempt to promise anything more either, so the buyer should be wary.
Extra Info: CD available at
cdbaby.com only. Additionally, first print releases have the names of tracks 4 and 6 reversed.
The Bottom Line : A haphazard undertaking with a strong base. Worth the listen, but this EP isn't going to change the world.
5.0 out of 10.0
Chopper Challenge
Linear Mode
