By Johnny Ray Huston
Axel Willner of the Field borrows with the insightful and transformative intent of a master curator. On the title track finale of the Field’s almost unanimously acclaimed From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt, 2007), that means tapping into the Flamingos’ 1959 "I Only Have Eyes for You." Kenneth Anger exploited that recording’s deeply unsettling quality in the 1972 version of his Rabbit’s Moon, paving the way for a dozen or more David Lynch imitations of such a tactic. Willner’s trick was to distill the spectral eeriness of the recording into pure essence.
The Field, “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime”
On the new Yesterday and Today (ANTI-/Kompakt), Willner’s something-borrowed gambit is a cover of the Korgis’ glacial 1980 ballad "Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime." On the surface level of trend, this is almost a stale move: Justice recently incorporated the Korgis’ original into a mix, and Beck also has recorded a version. But Willner’s interpretation is far superior. It is both minimalist and majestic. Here the sublime resides in what Willner leaves out: the chorus. In place of words, he piles layer upon layer of his trademark ghostly hums and drones so that a sonic cave becomes a cathedral. It’s gorgeous.
Marke B chimes in: And check out this abso-brill recent collab between my favorite band of 2008, Foals, and Mr. Field-good. Rumor is more to come with the release of Foals’ second album this year …
The Field, “Foals Xiii (Foals Remix)”
The Field
opening for The Juan Maclean
Sat/6, 9 p.m., $20
Mezzanine
444 Jessie, SF
(415) 625-8880
www.mezzaninesf.com