Foreign Fields – “Taller”
Sam Beam struck a nerve with listeners last year when he released Kiss Each Other Clean. The Iron & Wine frontman, who first found an audience with stripped-down folk committed to cassette, had controversially expanded his traditionally straightforward pallet with eclectic instrumentation, including marimbas, extended sax sections and Auto-Tune.
This odd state of flux is where we find Foreign Fields, a duo from Nashville who, despite their grounding in pastoral folk, are unafraid to turn to the crisp twitches of a drum machine. “Taller” takes listeners to a more modern Tennessee, sun-kissed, beautiful and yet, urbanized. Through glistening strings, lush piano and–yes, that drum machine — Foreign Fields remind us that while technology may change how we understand folk, it will never change our zip codes.
