Fields Ohio - Some Melodies Are Memories You Never Really Leave Behind Vol. 2

A Closer Listen

The second volume of Fields Ohio‘s Some Melodies Are Memories You Never Really Leave Behind flows even better than the first, released four months prior.  This is the sound of Christine Annarino and Eddie Palmer having fun, poring over a decade’s worth of unreleased tracks and choosing the very best.  The tracks are connected by a unifying theme of “world mythologies,” visiting characters from around the globe, some more famous than others.  The last installment included the Djinn and Holowaka; the new set includes some more universally recognized names, especially in “Hey Mr. Sandman Bring Me to Sleep,” whose title references the 1958 Chordettes hit and whose timbre is one of many to recall shoegaze, albeit with a Buddha Bar bent.  There are even some cross-volume connections, as Vol. 1‘s “Kinnara Makes Waves” is met by “Adaro Breaks Waves” on Vol. 2.  The latter contains a surf vibe, spot-on for early summer, led by a New Order-like bass.  “Asteria Guards the Midsummer Stars,” another seasonally perfect piece, honors the nobility of the Titaness while skirting the insanity of her life story.  The guitar work references The Cure, while the wordless vocal is gentle and lulling.

Fields Ohio has always flitted between genres, making them incredibly hard to categorize.  For the most part, the duo is electronic, yet their new wave and shoegaze tendencies often nudge them in harder directions.  “Don’t Close Your Eyes Watch Your Back He’ll Come For You He’s Spring Heeled Jack” could have been an 80s hit, had it been released 40 years earlier and included lyrics; the funk bass and snippets of strings are redolent of mid-career Hall & Oates.  The track’s playful treatment guarantees that listeners will be no more afraid of Spring Heeled Jack than they were of a nearby “Maneater.”  The same principle holds true for “Caught in the Teeth of Kitsune” (a nine-tailed fox spirit), because it is so nice to be listening to what seems like a lost song from the alternative rock era that we disregard the danger.

Moving forward, we visit the breakbeats and pointillist notes of “The Owlman Always Rings Twice,” which simultaneously references Batman and The Postman Always Rings Twice, whose remake starred Jack Nicholson, connecting all three projects.  The closing tracks are the newest-sounding, although with this duo’s references it’s hard to tell.  “Bastet’s Sacred Steps” includes scratching, which didn’t exist as an art form in ancient Egypt, save for the fact that cats love to scratch; the more one listens, the more connections are made.  Cultish dance piece “Malingee’s Blade Has Been Sharpened” is hi-fi rather than lo, springing forth like an Aborigine spirit just disturbed by a foolish human.  The tempo is quick, the fate of the interloper quicker.

The overall impression of these (first?) two volumes is one of wonder: how did these 25 tracks go unreleased for so long ~ and how many more exist in the vaults?  Given the fact that Fields Ohio has always sounded like a band out of time, those who have been waiting patiently for new music from the duo will likely be just as satisfied with this “old” music.  If they hadn’t told us, we might never have known.  (Richard Allen)