Snowball

The Field Mice’s 1989 debut album on Sarah Records, Snowball, was the label’s first full-length, and the London indie quintet inadvertently helped pioneer what would become twee-pop. If the sublimely catchy melody of the opening song, “Let's Kiss and Make Up,” rings a familiar bell, it might be because Saint Etienne’s 1991 cover of it was a hit single. The original version is longer by a minute, with Field Mice singer Bobby Wratten’s lazy vocal performance sounding like he’s rubbing the sleep from his eyes in between verses. The jangly “You’re Kidding Aren’t You” sounds equally inspired by early recordings from The Smiths and the C86 indie pop sound of the late '80s. “End of the Affair” is a gentle ballad laced with acoustic guitar arpeggios; Wratten ramps up the reverb on his vocals, giving this breakup song a haunting ambience. “Couldn’t Feel Safer” plays with the innocence of a Vaselines tune before “Letting Go” closes with more sophisticated songwriting.