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Fields of Aplomb
Encyclopedia
Fields of Aplomb, abbreviated FoA, is a goth
/alternative
band formed in Baltimore
in 1998 upon the demise of Pelican's Daughter. known for surrealistic and gloomy lyrics. Their first album, Reverence for the Lost, addresses themes of extreme introversion. Their second release Nekromanteia
(2003), is based on the writings of Eliphas Levi
(1810–1875), a French occultist who helped revive interest in magic in the 19th century. Levi studied magic and practiced necromancy
on several occasions. In 2004 FoA released Spiritum Oriundus as a continuance of spiritual magic, however, focusing on seances and tormented appiritions. In the winter of 2006, FoA released Weoroscipe which illuminated the power of seduction, black magic
, fetishes
, and faith. Disillusionment (2006) includes remaster of "Reverence for the Lost" and "Nekromaneia" plus two additional songs and a DVD. The band took their name from the folklore tale of the inscribed surrounding land to the ancient Sumerian society (Fourth B.C), stating that those who died, either violently or tragically, their souls were to wonder the Fields of Adplumbum (Aplomb) until they acknowledged and accepted their fate.
music, ethereal
, even Classical music
and dub
) to create a gloomy, but very passionate sound which appealed to many left looking for something new in the wake of 90's collapse. Their sound proved very influential, inspiring or bringing attention to a whole wave of groups delving in the intense, gloomy style that would return to earlier gothic rock.
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
/alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band formed in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in 1998 upon the demise of Pelican's Daughter. known for surrealistic and gloomy lyrics. Their first album, Reverence for the Lost, addresses themes of extreme introversion. Their second release Nekromanteia
Nekromanteia
Nekromanteia is the second album from the band Fields of Aplomb, released in 2003. The album is based on the writings of Eliphas Levi , a French occultist who helped revive interest in ritual magic in the 19th century. Levi studied magic and practiced necromancy on several occasions....
(2003), is based on the writings of Eliphas Levi
Eliphas Levi
Eliphas Lévi, born Alphonse Louis Constant , was a French occult author and purported magician."Eliphas Lévi," the name under which he published his books, was his attempt to translate or transliterate his given names "Alphonse Louis" into Hebrew although he was not Jewish.His second wife was...
(1810–1875), a French occultist who helped revive interest in magic in the 19th century. Levi studied magic and practiced necromancy
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
on several occasions. In 2004 FoA released Spiritum Oriundus as a continuance of spiritual magic, however, focusing on seances and tormented appiritions. In the winter of 2006, FoA released Weoroscipe which illuminated the power of seduction, black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
, fetishes
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
, and faith. Disillusionment (2006) includes remaster of "Reverence for the Lost" and "Nekromaneia" plus two additional songs and a DVD. The band took their name from the folklore tale of the inscribed surrounding land to the ancient Sumerian society (Fourth B.C), stating that those who died, either violently or tragically, their souls were to wonder the Fields of Adplumbum (Aplomb) until they acknowledged and accepted their fate.
Sound
Fields of Aplomb combined a number of influences (punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
music, ethereal
Ethereal Wave
Ethereal Wave, also called ethereal darkwave in Europe and ethereal goth or simply ethereal in the US, is a term that describes a subgenre of Dark Wave music...
, even Classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
) to create a gloomy, but very passionate sound which appealed to many left looking for something new in the wake of 90's collapse. Their sound proved very influential, inspiring or bringing attention to a whole wave of groups delving in the intense, gloomy style that would return to earlier gothic rock.
History
Carolyn and Creston had known each other since the early 1990s, and used to play together in various bands, often not lasting more than one gig. One of the most long-lived of these was a band called Pelican's Daughter, who did a few gigs around Washington D.C. area. They soon split up too however, and Creston once again tried to convince his old Marine friend Steve Dargis to join him, simply because Creston thought he had the right look for a band. Creston's old band mate Carolyn came along for the keyboards and bass. The line up was now complete. Anna joined the band in 2005 on drums and keyboards.Personnel
- Anna Leska - Percussion, Programming, Keys
- Carolyn Baxter - Keyboards, Samplings, Bass Pedals, Violin
- Creston Baker - Guitars, Vocals
Discography
- 2002: Reverence for the Lost
- 2003: Nekromanteia
- 2004: Spiritum Oriundus
- 2006: Weoroscipe
- 2006: Disillusionment (Remaster of Reverence for the Lost and Nekromanteia plus DVD) Fall of 2006
- 2007: Theoretical Suicide (Scheduled for Winter of 2007)
- 2007: Pelican's Daughter's 1998 Regurgitate re-released (Christine Hendricks, Carolyn Baxter, Creston Baker, Steven Smith and Sven Mitchell).
- 2010: Carly Wade, Denamite, Leska and Baker side project, Symbols from the Driveway, to release Ambiguous in January 2010.
- 2011: Original Fields of Aplomb members, Baker, Baxter and Leska as Symbols from the Driveway, to release I am now in January 2011.
- 2013: Fields of Aplomb will release the sixth studio CD, "Love and Death" scheduled for release in June 2013.
External links
- Official website Looks to load to a placeholder page. May be a dead link.