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Field Music

“Tones of Town”

Memphis Industries

Call it post-post-punk. In the wake of second-generation bands such as Bloc Party and Interpol, there’s been renewed interest in post-punk’s founding fathers: Gang of Four, Mission of Burma and Wire, who have all recently either made comebacks or at least reissued classic albums. But rather than skew harder or more aggressively in response, some bands of post-punk’s new wave have turned to melody.

Field Music’s sophomore album, “Tones of Town,” builds on the wiry foundation of last year’s self-titled debut, adding chunkier guitars and fleshed-out production to jittery chord changes and pop melodies. “Kingston” is downright pretty, opening with a piano flourish and a string section. It’s a shy preface for “Working to Work,” a jubilant-sounding working-class ode, and the anthem of “In Context,” a more angular track that builds to a fist-pumping chorus. “She Can Do What She Wants” is a stirring finale, pitting syncopated guitar lines against a placid string section before giving into the fury of distorted guitars.

The band has retained the complex rhythmic intensity and puzzle-piece guitar work that characterized its debut. Still, expanding the sound and paying equal attention to songwriting is a smart decision for a group with talent to burn. Before, Field Music’s sound was all nooks and crannies; now, the songs hit with smart hooks that dig in deep. It’s a guitar-pop record, if a sharp, precise one.

With this in mind, “Tones of Town” might share more with Oasis and Blur than it does with Mission of Burma. If you’re not so keen on radio-ready U.K. exports such as Coldplay and Snow Patrol, Field Music might be the post-Britpop you’ve been looking for.

E-mail Greenwald at dgreenwald@media.ucla.edu.