Yesterday expands boldly upon his original arsenal of ideas. Vast chordscapes sprawl out and hinge off one another in a sort of widescreen emotional geometry; melodies surface and stay long enough for you to miss them once they change. The jarring disorientation of the samplettes (the flecks of Cocteau Twins in "The More That I Do," the ghosts of the Korgis in "Everybody Got To Learn Sometime," the kraut-rockish mist throughout) becomes strangely comforting over the course of several minutes. Little glockenspiel figures articulate themselves over gentle guitars at the close of "I Have the Moon, You Have the Internet." Crisp flecks of digital interference pock the otherwise glossy surface of "Everybody Got To Learn Sometime" before it glides into a trademark Willner panorama. "Leave It" throbs and sparkles, an out-and-proud club banger with slack wind chimes and bassist Dan Enquist's sneaky bass lines keeping it (at least partly) real.
When Willner comes to the Middle East, it will be with a three-piece band. The powerful beats of Jon Stanier (of Battles and Helmet) and the warm foundations of Enquist will make short shrift of criticism concerning the alleged frigid rigidity of minimal house, adding a propulsive thrust rather than mere supplementary audial baggage.
"I grew so weary of playing by myself on the laptop," Willner sighs. "I felt so controlled by the computer. This way, with a sampler and some live instrumentation, it's much easier for me to expand on things. I recorded this album with these new live dynamics in mind."
New dynamics or no, the heart of Willner's music remains his cache of repurposed sonic flecks. For the nostalgic listener, they are remains — tiny reminders of songs (and sentiments) long past. But taken as Willner intends them to be — live, loud, and firmly in the present — they adopt a new life. If you can imagine a sample as a reflection of who we are — like a little musical mirror — then imagine the music of the Field as a disco ball.
THE FIELD + THE JUAN MACLEAN + SOULCLAP DJS | Middle East downstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge | May 21 at 9 pm | $12 | 617.864.EAST orwww.mideastclub.com
