Records: The Nields' Play

Three backup musicians named Dave...

By Jess Champagne

The Nields live up to Woody Guthrie's standard for music-making that they quote in the liner notes for their new release. The album's title, Play, refers not only to its playful lyrics and musical style, but also to the dramatic sequence in which the songs are organized in the liner notes. Nerissa Nields, SM '89, noted in an interview before the band's Toad's Place performance on Thurs., Nov. 5, that the Nields have always been known as a literary band, and this theatrical twist is a natural next step.

The Nields, a folk-rock quintet featuring two sisters with idiosyncratic, twangy but harmonic voices and three backup musicians named Dave, have been unusually prolific this year. Mousse, a live CD of both new and old songs was only a few months old when Play hit the streets.

Although Play's songs don't really tell a story collectively, they do maintain the Nields' high standards for high energy, literary lyrics, and clever allusions. Along with the assertions of personal power in "Georgia O," their tribute to Georgia O'Keeffe, there are the requisite songs of despair and self-doubt, such as "Snowman" ("If I freeze/ I can't decay"). Nerissa goes on a healthy rant, yelling, "You want to go to Paradise/ everyone there says it's so nice/ everyone there has 25 lovers/ and each of them dreams only of me!"

Bob on the Ceiling, the Nields' second album, set a standard which none of their subsequent albums—including Play—have matched, and even dedicated listeners may want to skip a few of the love songs on this release. Overall, though, the album maintains a creativity, melody, and harmony that will appeal to folk fans. (Zoe Records)

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