Milwaukee music fans - and fans of good music just in general - have been waiting since 2012 for news of a new record from Field Report and frontman Chris Porterfield.
After all, it seems like a long two years ago since Milwaukee native – and former Marquette Office of Student Affairs program coordinator – Porterfield and his band erupted onto the scene, touring and opening for Counting Crows and Aimee Mann, all while releasing a glowingly received self-titled debut.
Well, wait no more: The promise of "Field Report news in 2014" has finally been fulfilled. It first arrived late last month with the official announcement – teased through Instagram and YouTube videos – of the title for the band's sophomore album, "Marigolden," and its release date, falling on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The new record will be released by Partisan Records, who has recently been enjoying the success of recent Tonight Show performer Sylvan Esso and the buzzy neo-soul Madison group Phox.
The good news keeps coming as well, as Field Report premiered "Wings," its first song off the new album, yesterday on Stereogum and Soundcloud. Click on either of the links (or both, if you're feeling randy) and have a listen.
For the band's first album, Field Report worked a lot with friend and modern Wisconsin godfather of heart-heavy indie folk Justin Vernon. The two originally met up back in their DeYarmond Edison days in Eau Claire and then reunited back in 2011, where Vernon offered up his studio to Porterfield and his newly formed band for recording. The rest is rich, beautiful, ear-soothing history.
Judging by "Wings," "Marigolden" sounds like it still has the Bon Iver-influenced, "lost in a cold dark woods with myself and my thoughts" traditional indie folk sound, but with a new added vibe of a kind of electro-folk Radiohead, with ethereal, evocative synths slowly glowing and illuminating in the background.
No fear, though, Field Report fans; pretty much everything you love about the band's tunes is still right there in "Wings," including Porterfield's deeply felt, rawly poetic songwriting and delivery and the way the lush music doesn't simply play, but lushly unfurls and soars like ... I don't know, some sort of flying implement. Nothing specific comes to mind right now.
Simply put, it's a great track and a more than healthy appetizer to keep fans satisfied until early October.
As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.
When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.
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