Transmission Fields
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | INDIE
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Transmission Fields
Words, Numbers, and Phonetic Sounds
4 out of 4 stars
The debut 8-song album by Charlotte foursome Transmission Fields aptly introduces itself with a memorable melody and strikingly poetic lyrics. It remains consistent throughout. Balancing whimsy and aching, the group’s hummable pop-rock hooks recall classic R.E.M. or ‘90s alternative pop such as Matthew Sweet. “Hero,” on the other hand, veers towards Superchunk-style indie-rock. “Days of Waiting” builds a beachy-bluesy intro into a melancholy rock chorus reminiscent of Verses.
Neitzel’s voice glides easily into his upper register while flanked by nicely understated harmonies. The band maintains its own sound throughout, yet “Words” is laced with shades of Americana due to Neitzel’s slightly twangy phrasing (especially on “Run”) and the warmth of dreamy shoegazer pop. - Charlotte Observer
"You'd be forgiven for thinking such an inclusive-sounding album would take the kitchen-sink tack on its miniature pop odyssey, and Transmission Fields will inevitably attract the ire of avant-garde rockists who'd rather they did. Almost a century of amorphous "modernism" has maligned the simplistic, melodic, and sentimental urges that periodically surface in the slipstream of musical composition. But for every blandly pretty ballad, there's a song like "While I Sleep," which swaddles its quintessentially bubblegum chords in sheets of bittersweet counterpoint melody.
It's hard to pin down why Transmission Fields never feel like they're talking down to you or skirting the airbrushed condescension of a Coldplay single in their uber-accessible tracks. The greatest asset on that count is probably Lee Neitzel's effortlessly superior voice, which anchors anthemic refrains with ideal falsetto and just a pinch of rasp. There's something geographically on point about this quartet of North Carolinians as well—where we might expect shiny bombast from such power pop, the Fields are more about coziness, which is why the breezy southern rock guitar solo in "Run" comes more naturally than the glassy left-field electro-breakdown in "Days of Waiting." And while those valleys do cut swaths between the high points—and sometimes TF are guilty of killing time before the climb—I won't argue with a band that successfully molds conventions rather than casually obliterating them." - Klee - Published 2-28-08 - Hot Indie News dot com
This Charlotte, NC band has an engaging sound that comes in somewhere between indie pop and power pop, and the opening track "While I Sleep" is a perfect example of the best of both styles - just try getting that "I belieeeeve it all" chorus out of your head. Other standouts include the kinetic "Hero", which suggests a more conventional Guided by Voices with a longer attention span; the languid "Days of Waiting", and the near-Americana of "Run". A promising debut and with 8 tracks, a bargain at $5.
- Absolute Powerpop Blogspot
"Crafted with a strong ear for multi-part harmonies, and an obvious fondness for gentle synth and keyboard baubles, the T-Fields' user-friendly melodies land somewhere between Beulah's quirk and Coldplay's orchestral swoon on the sounds-like meter." Schacht - Creative Loafing on Words, Numbers, and Phonetic Sounds - Published 11-21-07 - Creative Loafing
Discography
Self-Titled: On Spectra Records
Garage Band Tribute to The Beatles Vol 2
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Bio
Transmission Fields is a band based out of Charlotte, NC with members hailing from the Midwest and the Southeast. Influences range from Hook oriented 3 minute pop tunes to intricate, orchestrated Experimental/Chamber rock.
The band signed with Spectra Records at the beginning of 2010 with the first release hitting shelves in August of 2010.
A review of the Self-Titled, Spectra Records release:
"Calling a band radio-ready is often seen as a damning praise. After all, most (commercial) radio plays about as many songs as there are spaces on a bingo card, and each of those spaces is usually filled by a band playing one hyper-predictable, super specific genre cliché or another. What's more, there's no longer any "free space" in the middle for anything different or unique to gain traction.
Too bad for radio, then, as this self-titled release, eminently hummable/harmonizable, is a little gem for those who like their pop rock like R.E.M. or Built to Spill make it: a little angular, a little obscure, and a lot of fun.
Guitarist Neil Hunter's spidery, Peter Buck-esque riffs, just as high in the ever-insistent mix as Lee Neitzel's easy/beatific vocals, takes listeners back (and hopefully, forward) to an era when rock radio didn't mean also playing an endless game of Spot the Influence."
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