For Keeps

For Keeps is one of my favorite albums ever. It is the album I want to fall asleep to all the time and every time I take a nap I play it. It's so good for a million reasons. I love The Field Mice, I really do. And I thought about writing a post just about them, but I think it's better if I break it down a little more.

I like it even if it's the last Field Mice album. It isn't the fuzzed out pop that first made me love them, it isn't all those perfect songs on Emma's House, but it is still pretty fucking perfect. And I can't say that it's my favorite Field Mice album because that would be a lie, since I can never choose my favorite anything, but I am really in love with it.

A month ago my friend Maggie asked me for some Field Mice stuff while we were at Burger Friday. Apparently, I am really weird about giving people my music because I thought it was a good idea to only give Maggie Emma's House and For Keeps even though I definitely have more of their stuff. The thing is that we trade music almost every Burger Friday, and I figured I could just give her more later. I didn't realize how sort of terrible and selfish that ended up coming off as. I am just really silly. Anyway, I will say that I'm glad I gave her this album first because I really love it so much and I knew she'd really love it.

My favorite song on the album is "And Before the First Kiss" which is kind of predictable. It has such a great Field Mice title, and is so horribly depressing, I think. But it is also really sweet and don't you want to listen to a song that is both really sweet and really sad? I do. There's also "Think of These Things" which I like because I think everyone has sort of felt that way about someone. And it sounds really horrible to just say, but sounds less terrifying in a pop song. Also, can we talk about how perfect Annemari Davies is on these songs? Her voice is so good. It's perfect in "Five Moments" which starts off the album, but it's just as good on "Willow" which has such a heartbreaking little chorus. And when she sings "When I said them I meant them" I know I've been listening to this song that's about to be over but is still about to make me cry. "Tilting At the Windmills" is a really good track that makes me feel a little scared in the best kind of way. "This Is Not Here" has typical Field Mice lyrics that are all about lovelovelove and being sadsadsad. Oh my. The last song on the album, "Freezing Point" is loud and noisy and makes me feel a little better about all the sappy songs I just listened to.

This album sounds so sad! And it really is so I'm not gonna lie to you and say it's not. But wait, there's "Coach Station Reunion" and that song is just so very cute that it makes me smile a little through the rest of the album. "Smiles and kisses there will be, tomorrow/I'll hold you tight, I'll look into your eyes" UM, HOW CUTE IS THAT? Pretty cute, right? Plus it's all about being really excited to see someone, and that is so precious!

I know that the album was re-released in 2005 with extra singles on it, but as much as I want new Field Mice songs, I like the way it works with just these ten. If you want to listen to a bunch of sappy sweet pop songs this is perfect. If you don't, then I don't have very many suggestions for you.

Love, María