Another hyped album, perhaps the most-hyped artist in an especially-hyped genre. The Field's ambient techno has been exciting hipster youth who just want to dance to an hour of beats and warm synth textures, and I get the draw of this kind of music, though I have trouble really connecting with electronic music that isn't especially dark, especially noisy or isn't just a catchy pop song thinly veiled by electronic sounds. Looping State of Mind is probably The Field's most compelling work, at least to my ears, however. While his last record, 2009's Yesterday and Today, went for a hazier, dreamy take on the style, this new record is a bit more dynamic. Some of the sounds border on grimy or ominous, and the final track, "Sweet Slow Baby" whittles the techno beat down to a muffled background. This type of music has the potential to be incredibly boring but The Field pushes enough of the right buttons, expands the boundaries just enough, the make it almost exciting and certainly interesting.8.2 / 10
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