Breaking Artist: Fields Sweeten Up Atmospheric Guitar Rock

Tweet

Who: London-based post-punkers who merge the urgent, distorted-guitar-driven sound of their musical heroes Sonic Youth with a tender, melodic sweetness. "Our first rehearsal was October 2005, we started gigging six weeks later and we signed a deal within about four months of getting together," says singer-songwriter Nick Peill of the band's rapid rise, which involved nailing down a record deal, hitting the road with Bloc Party and releasing their debut album, Everything Last Winter, in April. "It was all a bit ridiculous."

Somebody Feed the Band: After touring the world, Fields -- Peill, singer-keyboardist Thorunn Antonia, singer-drummer Henry Spenner, bassist Matty Derham and guitarist Jamie Putnam -- have learned the importance of decent catering. "When you're going on tour, particularly in England, it's really hard to find good food," Peill laments. "We once played a show in Middlesbrough in England and all they had in the dressing room was one slice of preformed ham in the dressing room -- for five of us. That was very disappointing."

Hear It Now: Get caught up in a fast acoustic strum that builds into the mesmerizing swirl of "Song for the Fields."

Watch It: Check out Fields talking about (and then performing) their signature song with a string section.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'This Is the End' Brings the Goods
• 
  TV The Women of 'Mad Men'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Karma Chameleon”

Culture Club | 1983

Boy George has said this song was about standing by what you believe in. However, at the time, he was involved in a secret affair with Culture Club drummer Jon Moss. "Now people can understand the songs better," he said. "They were written about my relationship with Jon, and they were also written about being a gay man in a homophobic world." The lines "If I listen to your lies, would you say/I'm a man without conviction/I'm a man who doesn't know how to sell a contradiction," described his life at the time, he said. "I was selling this big lie."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter