The Field Mice
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The Field Mice were the most popular band on the seminal, cult indie label Sarah Records. Initially a duo comprising Bob Wratten and Michael Hiscock, their first EP, "Emma's House," was released in late 1988, but it was with their 2nd single "Sensitive" that they first received significant critical attention with a subsequent placing in John Peel's 1989 Festive 50.
Over a three year career the band were often dogged with the reputation of having a post C86 indiepop or generic Sarah Records sound despite producing tracks with numerous styles and influences. Early singles and even their sleeves harked back to early Factory Records bands such as New Order and The Wake, with many tracks often featuring sequencers and samples. Many of the group's recordings, notably "Triangle" and their epic seven-minute swan song, "Missing the Moon", displayed a strong influence from the popular dance music of the time. Most of the group's records were produced by Ian Catt, who later went on to perfect the pop dance sound of "Missing The Moon" with Saint Etienne and many other British bands of the early to mid 1990s.
The band split up in 1991 after an unctuous tour to promote the For Keeps album, during which lead singer/guitarist Robert Wratten announced he was leaving.
Later, Field Mice members Wratten, Annemari Davies (Wratten's ex-girlfriend), and Mark Dobson briefly formed the more synth-oriented outfit Northern Picture Library, and then Wratten went on to form Trembling Blue Stars in 1995.
A double-album compilation of the now long-deleted Field Mice releases, Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way? was released in 1999 and sold more copies than any Field Mice record ever sold at the time. Their entire back catalogue was reissued on CD for the first time by LTM Recordings in 2005.
[edit] Discography
- Snowball (mini-album, Sarah, 1989)
- Skywriting (mini-album, Sarah, 1990)
- Coastal (compilation, Sarah, 1991)
- For Keeps (Sarah, 1991)
- Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way? (compilation, Shinkansen Recordings, 1997)
Expanded versions of Snowball, Skywriting and For Keeps were issued on LTM in 2005. Between them they include all the material from the Coastal and Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way? compilations.
