Anywhere But Where I Am
by Foreign Fields
Release Date: 23rd April 2012
Tracklist: From The Lake To The Land / Taller / Mountaintop / Anywhere But Where I Am / Where The Willow Tree Died / A Difficult Year / So Many Foreign Homes / Keep Us In Mind / Names and Races / Pillars / The River Kings / Perfect Home / Fake Arms //
Anywhere But Where I Am, I know, another album that can probably be
compared to the likes of Bon
Iver and J. V.
McMorrow, but it doesn't mean that it should be. There are similarities, but
it's individual, hushed and beautiful, the album creates this otherworldly
atmosphere that makes it original compared to other albums. Foreign Fields incorporates this dreamy, nostalgic style of folk and electronic inflections, with the
inclusion of solo instrumental tracks, such as Anywhere
But Where I am (a sort of
piano interlude that leads into my favourite track). Scenes of nature and
landscapes dominate the albums track titles - From
The Lake To The Land, Where The Willow Tree Died, Mountaintop, The River Kings,
etc.
The title track, Anywhere But Where I Am, is a
kind of interlude, even if it is three minutes long, it leads us into Where The Willow Tree Died. Anywhere
But Where I Am is an instrumental piano piece, a single melodic line
with little chromatic inflections that has a chordal accompaniment, that is
slow to begin and uses rubato (an exploration of the tempo for expression)
throughout for more expression in the melody. Halfway through, the piece picks
up the pace, the left hand part moves down an octave giving the track
more depth, and it finishes back in the same octave as the start, with a single final chord. This simple interlude adds to the dreamy aura of the album and leads
into the wistful track, Where
The Willow Tree Died.
A quiet delicate
melody introduces Where The Willow Tree
Died, and becomes the theme of the piece, accompanied by smooth cello lines
and humming voices, singing little snippets of that original melody. “Up on the limb I had more to see but I can’t
feel your hand / and I can’t extend my reach”, in instrumental breaks
between verses and choruses little melodic inflections that are based from the
introductory melody are played and explored, reminding you of where it started.
The track expands and discovers that melody and the rest of the musical
content, “I should have saved a seed for
you to grow and us to reap all night / where the willow tree died”, the
drums kick in, accompanied by a cello bass line, where it moves the piece into
a different atmosphere; the vocal melody line lower, breathier, “well you always play the games / looks like
you’re off again, but your branches always break”. The piece concludes on
the band playing together, the guitar repeating a melody that was introduced
after the last line of lyrics, slowly drawing to a close with that intricate
melody that the piece started with.
These pieces have
already demonstrated their style, one that is consistent throughout this album,
where A Difficult Year (flowing harp lines and relatable lyrics; "we sit and wait for the smoke to clear / I guess it's been a difficult year") to leads to So Many Foreign Homes, the seventh track
on the album and probably my favourite. So
Many Foreign Homes demonstrates straight away this incorporation of dreamy
folk and electronic elements. It’s introduced with the electronic
embellishments, and followed by a simple guitar melody that is played throughout the song, repeated and explored. Their voices are another element
that drew me to their music, adding to this ethereal atmosphere. Their vocal
style is something that is used more frequently in this genre of music, in
artists such as Kings Of Convenience,
Keaton Henson, Sufjan Stevens, etc., not that this is a bad thing. Their voices
are tranquil and intimate, even though they are passive in sonority; they still
dominate the tracks and push their musical content even further. “Just get up and rise / I already saw what’s
planned / Let go of me now / I have no need for your hand.”
From The Lake To The Land is the
introductory track of the album, probably the track that I should have written
about first, and although it is one of the tracks that stand out for me, it’s
not my favourite and that is probably why I haven’t mentioned it yet. It’s a
track that slowly builds up, calm and patient, slowly building in dynamic and
texture before the vocals begin, “from
the lakeside / from the lakeside to my friend / from her hand I caught a
glimpse of the river’s end”. Something that I have mentioned previously,
that appears in Where The Willow Tree Died,
appears in this track too; the accompanying voices, they hum and cry escorting
the listener through instrumental breaks between verses and also during verses
(“from the lakeside to my friend / from
her hand I caught a glimpse of another hand / the sea is dark / I’m waiting for
it again / for her hand”), these voices give this haunted and ghostly
feeling to the track.
The
concluding and final track, Fake Arms,
is one of the acoustic tracks, with just acoustic guitar and voice. The piece
is melancholic, lonesome and intimate, about getting away from your day-to-day
life. That idea is exactly what the entire album allows you to do, just from
listening you can get away and “see
mountains again”. The closing lyric on the song, is among my favourites of
the album: “If I leave this town for ten / I’ll see mountains again / But if I can’t see you / I’ve lost it all my friend”.
forteloud rating: 5/5
Here's the full album so that you can have a listen!
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