Recordings' first breaks mold
Published April 21, 2006
Audiences don't always take local bands seriously, believing that artists in one's backyard can't compare to national acts.But, based on what is heard on The Foundry Field Recordings' first LP, Prompts/Miscues, perhaps it is time to reevaluate this idea. The Foundry Field Recordings have overcome that myth and succeeded to make palatable an unconventional subject matter that presides over its album: the apocalypse.
Throughout the record, Billy Schuh's high-pitched voice carries an inspiring quality and, as it gently wafts over and passes through each of the despairing lyrics, makes the concept calm.
During both the introductory and concluding tracks, aural elements characteristic of disaster such as tornado sirens and public service announcements help perpetuate the theme of a world in disarray.
On the track "Holding the Pilots/Holding the Facts," the lyrics "and everything is burning down" and "the bullet-ridden crowd" reinforce the feeling of impending destruction with images of carnage. The subject matter, though, is made agreeable by the poppy, almost dance-like sounds featured in the song.
The lamentations about a past love, though not explicitly stated, make the melancholy "Broken Strings" a powerfully emotional entity among all the images of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Despite the good quality of this album, after a number of listens, all the tracks begin to blur together and sound like a pulsating mass of noise rather than individual songs. Still, it's an impressive release from one of the Columbia's best bands.
