When a band announce there are on a 'hiatus' it is the equivalent of a married couple deciding on a trial separation. It is a drastic measure but sounds less final and leaves the door open for future reconciliation.
Southampton's 'Field Music' are in such a state having publicly declared a dissatisfaction with the direction the band were headed the trio are seeking inspiration in the musical singles bar.
David Brewis' album under the moniker 'School of Language' is not a completely solo album since Futureheads' Barry Hyde and David Craig help out on a couple of tracks and female support also comes in the shape of Marie Nixon and Sarah McKeown.
Still, since he has, to date,only performed the songs alone it is safe to say this is not to be judged as another band project.
It features 11 tracks (in just under 40 minutes), if you count Rocklist Parts 1 - 4 separately; a quartet which begins and ends the album underpinned by an insistent looped voice repeating vowel sounds.
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Extended Holiday is a fairly straightforward rock song but the general tendency here is towards a cut and paste song structure, a public experiment in dismantling the Indie pop song to see what makes it tick.
In many ways it is reminiscent of Jim O'Rourke's solo albums in the layering effect that results but there is not the same joy in tinkering that you get with O'Rourke.
When it works on songs like 'This Is No Fun' or 'Rockist Part 4' the songs have a momentum of their own but too often there is a lack of conviction.
Its flaws show that life after Field Music is not going to be a bed of roses - a reunion must be on the cards.
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