BLACKFIELD V

Give it a few tries. After having impossibly high expectations since the first two Blackfield albums are two of my favorite albums ever, it was hard not to feel disappointed on my first listen. I was ready to give this three, maybe even two stars. But after a few more listens, I realized that it didn't need to sound like the first two records to be a good record in its own right. And there's definitely a lot to like, although there are a few moments that I blatantly disagree with. Opener "Family Man" plays a similar role to that of "Open Mind" from the first record, starting the album with a rocker. "How Was Your Ride?" is just classic Blackfield, a dreamy melancholic track that might be one of the best on the record. Other highlights for me were "October" (an absolutely heartbreaking track), "Sorrys", and the brilliant closer titled "From 44 to 48", which is just melancholia at its finest. There's a lot to like about this records, just don't let your unreasonably high expectations get the better of you.