Plumb

With 15 songs in 35 minutes, <i>Plumb</i> is best swallowed whole. The first three tracks set the template for the album, with recurring lyrical phrases echoing the predictability of daily life. The vignettes are strong enough to stand on their own, yet each track is more impressive when its ideas are laid end-to-end as one concept. The band’s prog tendencies are now fully ingrained into its spring-loaded sound, and the songs' brevity demands that they hit the hook hard and move along. There’s simply no room for anything else. Fortunately, the band’s musicianship is precise enough to execute the sharp, angular riffs, nimble drumming, and clever arrangements that dominate here. Intelligent and endearingly skewed, Field Music’s fourth album intertwines art-rock and pop into a crisp and cohesive set.