Little Wings‘ Kyle Field is settling into his status as a legendary, freak-folk acolyte who has spun a whole world for himself across many different song cycles, albums, and musical collections. Since the ’90s, Field has faithfully created Americana story-songs with coastal influences that sometimes stray off the beaten path, out into the ocean, or up into the air. Following their own course, sometimes the songs seem to get away even from him, venturing out into the great unknown, veering into straight-faced magical silliness before heading all the way back around to reverent solemnity.
Now, settled happily in Los Angeles, Field has teamed up with Arizona label Moone Records to reissue one of his first-ever releases, 2002’s Wonderue, originally put out by the legendary K Records in Olympia. Like many albums released during that time, Wonderue had fallen out of print and wasn’t available digitally. Now, it’s available for streaming via this premiere, and is being released on vinyl for a new era of collectors.
The album is an ideal starting point for listeners who may just be venturing into Field’s musical landscape, sprinkled with early inklings of the refined, sharpened songwriting exhibited on later works like 2015’s Explains, and appealing in their own looseness. Returning to these songs after seventeen years, they tell the story of what was yet to come, and are a clear indication of what had already been wrought. Working with other well-known Olympians like Karl Blau and Phil Elvrum, this record has the fingerprints of an older, freer era all over it. Stream the record below ahead of its official release on 11/29.
Wonderue will be out 11/29 via Moone Records. Pre-order it here.
