Fields of Industry: “The minimal blissed-out stuff with the darker rock stuff...” Singer/songwriter Joshua Barton speaks of “our new rock n’ roll developments” when he acknowledges the girding contributions of (his brother in law) Jacob Walbridge joining Fields of Industry, along with Joel Skene and Ed Golembiewski, both of whom joined the band (with Eric Gallippo and Joel Schrauben) just in time to help finish recording an album.

Trouble House, the Ann Arbor band’s fourth proper release, spreads their characteristic sparse and spacey shoegaze and nocturnal folk sound into a fuller, punchier, and yes rock-y-er affair, with gliding major-key bending, almost blues-swaggering guitar solos, vocals more upfront and sliding into cathartic calls and an overall thickness filled in by piano, organ and the boardwork of Brandon Wiard at Pretty Suite Recordings. Barton (who started the band as a recording project 11 years ago, doling out tapes and playing coffee shops), said he wanted Trouble House “to be a fusion of the emerging sides of the band. The songs were written around sad ideas and circumstances, but built upon different responses: one aggressive, the other resigned.”   Barton and Co. did not stress over “taking our time,” allowing Wiard expanded participation while he helped capture the incoming contributions from FOL satellite musicians like Damon Tutunijian, Mark Wallace, Dan Piccolo and Kaylan Mitchell.

“I had a vision and I really feel like we nailed it,” Barton said. Indeed, Trouble House is not some bridge- burning swerve into hooky rock and power/pop, it still retains some of the most beautiful dark-ambient floater folk moments the band has ever created, yet still have a warmth and fullness (see: “Rock n Roll, A Lady” – a song you can download, along with the whole album, via their bandcamp: fieldsofindustry.bandcamp.com)

Barton said with 2006’s Two Dogs, A Television (an album recorded with FOL as a duo between Barton and Gallippo), “...We kinda got into some free jazz, noise and improvisational stuff and that loosened us up quite a bit. Eric and I retain that interest, but Joel Skene, Jacob and now Ed all serve to ground the band in rock ‘n’ roll, each of them having their own distinct tastes. I think we’ve got a really great fi t right now and I’m excited to see where it goes.” The band fi nished a midwest tour last month and put a short run of Trouble House on their own Arts Vs Entertainment label. New songs are gestating this season between FOL, with hopes of soon returning to Wiard’s door for more recording.

Quite Scientific: I remember about two years ago when this A2-based label was just a handful of bands, Frontier Ruckus among them. They specialized in pop- leaning experimental rock, folk and electro groups from MI or the Great Lakes area. Now they’ve secured new clientele such as Detroit comedown-synth-pop swirling duo Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr and the country-twanged neo- psychedelic pop rock n rolling quintet Drunken Barn Dance (80%-A2/20%-NY/110%-heart). What started as a “labor of love” between Brian & Jeremy Peters and Justin Spindler has now bolstered nearly 20 releases be- tween 11 bands, including recent arrivals of Ypsi’s Lightning Love. New releases include: DEJJ’s Horse Power EP, DBD’s Grey Buried, Cotton Jones’ Rio Ranger EP and City Center’s Spring Street. Spindler said “it’s been quite encouraging as of late to have a fl urry of artists re- ally be embraced” and that their most ambitious year is likely right around the corner. (quitescientific.com).