Fielding -- Fielding

6/10

I think that Plankeye's final album, Strange Exchange, is one of the most underrated albums of all time. Frontman, Scott Silletta, had hit the road by then, but that freed up guitarist, Eric Balmer, and bassist, Luis Garcia, to follow their every whim. It's a unique album, and it deserved far more attention. When I heard that Balmer had started a new band after Plankeye's demise with his wife, Beth, I was overjoyed. I missed hearing the guy's voice. Unfortunately, Fielding's 2005 self-titled full-length debut didn't quite live up to my expectations. It starts extremely strongly with the powerful "The Giant" and the 90's alternative-shaded "Lampshade," but the rest of the album is a little stagnant. The tracks mostly fall into that inoffensive, indie-rock mode, and don't really stick to memory. This is mainly a disappointment because of the power of the opening tracks--this band can sound big, but for the majority of the album, they choose not to. Thankfully, though, this wasn't Fielding's final statement. They are still kicking, and the organic and melancholy direction they've been testing lately is quite promising. Instead of posting a track from this self-titled album, here is the band's latest video, "Ladders to Stars."


2005 The Militia Group
1. The Giant 4:51
2. Lampshade 3:38
3. Big Surprise 2:59
4. All You'll Get 3:40
5. OK, Alright 3:07
6. Legless 3:35
7. June 5 4:53
8. Cuban Eyes 4:05
9. Indigo 4:15
10. Judas 3:58