Field Report’s second album, Marigolden, sees its official release today on Partisan Records. It’s a stunner. From bittersweet road song “Home (Leave The Lights On)” and electronic-tinged “Wings,” to somber piano ballad “Ambrosia” and emotionally devastating “Pale Rider,” Marigolden finds frontman Chris Porterfield grappling with loneliness and loss, pining for permanence, and adjusting to his newfound sobriety. It’s a quiet but significant improvement in every regard to the group’s 2012 self-titled debut—more personal, more intimately rendered, more present. Field Report landed at #2 on our list of the 50 best Milwaukee albums of the 2010s (so far), and it’s practically a given that Marigolden will land on a future list. It’s Porterfield’s finest work to date.
To commemorate the release of Marigolden, Milwaukee Record invited Porterfield and filmmaker Kurt Raether to our office and asked them to create an original, impromptu video for the album’s leadoff track, “Decision Day.” Featuring the Field Report singer donning an all-white suit—complete with white hair, a white beard, and a white mask—and projection loops provided by Raether, the video is as dense, multi-layered, and hypnotic as the song itself. We couldn’t be happier with it.
Huge thanks to Raether for directing and editing the clip, Quinn Hester and Max Larsen for shooting it, and Porterfield for performing in and inspiring it. A Milwaukee release show for Marigolden is set for Wednesday, October 22 at the Pabst Theater. The album is available now.