Yesterday and Today

The Field - Yesterday and Today
Critic Score
Based on 20 reviews
2009 Ratings: #42 / 923
User Score
Based on 97 ratings
2009 Rank: #114
Liked by 13 people
May 19, 2009 / Release Date
LP / Format
Anti- / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
NOW Magazine
The Field’s sound is haunting and atmospheric, driven by a sequenced mechanical pulse.
95
Prefix

I'm gushing, I know, but listening to something as lovely and effusive as this album on repeat can only inspire those same qualities in those fortunate enough to hear.

91
A.V. Club

Though it’s on par with its predecessor in terms of repetition, Yesterday And Today is also on that level in terms of quality—which should mean no disappointments.

90
Spectrum Culture

Even when Willner allows the tracks to pitch and shift, such as on the eponymous “Yesterday and Today,” there is a matter of control and structure that is still intact. Yesterday and Today proves that although the path can remain the same, what matters is how the journey takes us more than where. It gets you coming and going.

80
Under the Radar
These iridescent sound experiments tell a thrilling story poles apart.
80
Record Collector

Two years on from his debut, Willner seems able to entrust his sounds to travel longer distances, allowing his excursions in techno to stretch out into extended triumphant motorik journeys. Forget about what Yesterday & Today isn’t and embrace it for what it is.

80
The Skinny
Making like a minimal Hebden & Reid, Willner and Stanier dice Kraut-pop and ambience in an exhilarating hour of music, leaving the listener in a state of awe.
80
Resident Advisor

These critiques seem bald when considering how deftly the Field's managed to flesh out an aesthetic that might have tired quickly, testimony that the Field ain't no one-trick pony, even if that trick's still the stuff of first-place finishes.

80
Pitchfork
It's also quite good, despite the possible failure of nerve on its creator's part.
80
No Ripcord

Yesterday and Today is a brilliant sequel, one that retains the strongest elements of its predecessor whilst bravely pushing forward into new territory.

80
AllMusic
If open to it, the album can be even more enveloping than the debut. The added warmth and a little extra depth go a long way.
80
PopMatters

As with most of the Field’s music, Yesterday and Today works better through headphones than in the club. You’d get too many people transfixed, just staring out into the middle distance. But that’s what makes it such a powerful experience to listen to on your own.

80
musicOMH
Processed it may still be, but the emotions this time round feel more human, and, as a result, make a deeper impact.
80
Tiny Mix Tapes

Yesterday and Today, the sophomore effort from The Field (nee Axel Willner), can be easily understood as part of the tradition of moody follow-ups a la In Utero: a pairing of a signature sound with willful experimentalism.

80
Drowned in Sound

‘Organic’ is a word that has influence and is often applied, but hardly does justice to so otherworldly a record as Yesterday and Today. A pulse very rarely makes you feel this alive.

76
Beats Per Minute
The juxtaposition of synthesized waves of sound, surprising classic rock snippets, and odes to the early 90s electronica floats the listener into a musical experience of metallic post era architectural structures and spaceships.
75
XLR8R

Yesterday and Today may not be a classic, but it could certainly soundtrack a quality chill-out room.

70
SPIN

Swedish electronic dance producer Axel Willner consistently finds the sweet spot between breathlessness and breathing too hard on his follow-up to 2007's acclaimed From Here We Go Sublime.

60
Clash
Willner will again lap up plaudits by the pound, but inside he must surely feel that ‘Yesterday And Today’ is a safe, box-ticking album that’s only half the record it could well have been with a little more adventure and ambition translated into achievement. A missed opportunity, perhaps.
50
Rolling Stone

After a few listens, the charm of many of Willner's soundscapes fades: They provide a certain Vicodin-buzz pleasure — and then they don't.

amygoodall
85

HEY EVEYRONE HAHA WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE FIELD MAKES LIFE-AFFIRMINGLY ORGASMIC MUSIC IN CASE YOU WEREN'T ON THE WAVE YET

knewnie
70

awesome stuff

ItsSarahhhh
85

this album was very good and made me feel awesome and emotions and cool and wow

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