Rating: 8.6
When Yesterday & Today starts, it doesn’t seem like much has changed from the Field’s stellar debut, From Here We Go Sublime. “I Have the Moon, You Have the Internet” sounds fairly similar to what he did for most of that album, settling into trance-like grooves that change subtly over time, but remain fairly similar throughout. Likewise, “The More That I Do” (the first song most people heard from the album), sounds like it could’ve been taken straight from From Here We Go Sublime, with just a few minor changes made at most. Both are just as good as what he did on From Here We Go Sublime, but perhaps not what fans were hoping for, especially since he described the record as more organic than its predecessor.
But, while Axel Willner is still doing what Axel Willner does, his new album does show musical growth. The Krautrock elements found near the end of “Leave It” and on album closer “Sequenced” display a new technique in his repertoire, one he uses to great effect on both songs, making them highlights of the album. They also provide the organic feel, as does the title track, with its use of some live drumming to augment his otherwise totally sequenced sound. Likewise, on “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime,” his use of vocals is very ethereal, rather than the mantra-like repetition of short wordless fragments of Sublime songs like “Over the Ice.”
As such, about half the album feels like a throwback to Sublime, a slightly updated take on the sound of that album. The other half shows him pushing in new directions. While he does both very well, it makes the album slightly less cohesive than Sublime. The result is that he has made a very good transitory album, one that suggests that he his next album could be even better if he pursues the new sounds found here even further. Fans of Sublime will no doubt enjoy this album, as it is another very solid entry in what is looking to become a very impressive discography.
-Pnoom
