Sinister: Sinsiter: Field Mice & the Orchids

[Mick McMick]

Lucy Munro wrote:
> Not having been particularly precocious, and not being inordinately
> wealthy either, I don't know that much of the Field Mice's stuff, but
> I did decide a couple of weeks ago that "Sensitive" was the best song
> ever made (if only for that week, when it was continually on my
> walkman) - which *isn't* greeting-card or naive or any of those things,
> just *beautiful*, and much more direct than you'd expect from their
> reputation - and Northern Picture Library's "Paris" isn't far behind.
> The B&S comparison's more valid than a lot that I've heard - Stone
> Roses?! - although it's partly to do with the unabashed sensitivity
> (for want of a better word) of both groups. 

	Yeah, the Field Mice were fab. I have to confess, I like them a weensy
bit more than B&S. Maybe I'll change my mind when the new album comes
out... Anyway, I suppose I can see a vague kind of connection between
the Field Mice & B&S. I think that it's more their common influences
(Nick Drake, Felt, 60's pop, the Go-Betweens) than B&S being influenced
by the Field Mice. I guess it stands to reason that a B&S fan has a good
chance of liking the Field Mice as well. Northern Picture Library are
very different-sounding, though. At times they were similar to the Field
Mice (an example would be the brilliant and already mentioned "Paris")
but mostly they were fairly different-sounding from the Field Mice,
mining a lot of electronic & wall-of-sound things, coming off at
different times similar to later MBV (but better if you ask me) or St.
Etienne. In other words, not much like B&S. Still, very very very good,
though. And what's more, virtually everything they did is still in
print. Too bad "Paris" and the 3 other songs they released on Sarah
aren't, though =(  

> for Field Mice singles, so there's no excuse...  And there is going
> to be a lovely Field Mice retrospective soon, so you can all decide
> whether the comparisons are at all justified (look at the Shinkansen

	Yes, and some day there will be a Field Mice tribute, too. I think the
retrospective will come out sooner. As a fan who was 9 years old when
they formed, I think it's good that they are giving us the opportunity
to hear their songs again without paying a ton of money.
 
> The other Sarah band I've heard likened to B&S are The Orchids, who
> shared a dancey tendency with the Field Mice's later stages - I've
> just got some tapes of their stuff, which I haven't had a chance to
> listen to properly yet, but I'd say that "Electronic Renaissance" is
> the closest reference point.  That and a similar Scottish slightly
> mumbly vocal style (that's supposed to be complimentary).

	I'm not as sure about the Orchids comparison. They seemed more rock &
roll to me. Idunno, it's all a matter of what you listen for. Personally
I liked the last Orchids album better than Lyceum. I've yet to hear a
song of theirs I enjoyed more than "Avignon." Wonderful.

> Hell, there are other people around who are much better qualified to
> say all this stuff that I am...

	Well, seeing as how the person who runs a Field Mice webpage is on this
list, I'd say that about myself too, but it doesn't mean I still don't
have some insight, or that I didn't get any from your post =)   
 
 /"\_/"\_/"\    Mick McMick - mick at indiepop.com - ICQ#5056758
 \         /    Sandcastle Records - sandcastlerecords at indiepop.com 
  |       |     Sandcastle Homepage - http://indiepop.com/sandcastle/ 
  |       | 
  |       |     "Everyone has their own cup of tea.  
  |       |          Some just happen to like a lot of sugar in it!" 
  |       |               - Me!
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