For Keeps was The Field Mice's third and final album, released in October 1991. The band had confidence combined with lots of experience in the studio and doing shows. This reissue contains the For Keeps full length (tracks 1-10), the Missing The Moon 12inch (tracks 11-13, and the September's Not So Far Away 7inch (tracks 14-15).

Coach Station Reunion has a cool tremolo guitar, a second guitar with a riff like a Monkees song, female backing vocals and a killer chorus. It is a fantastic track that works on every level.

The last song on the For Keeps LP was Freezing Point. It is a 7:15 instrumental that is one of my favorites on the disc. It is just about the loudest Field Mice song I can think of, and must have been quite a track to see them play live.

Missing The Moon has male/female vocals and a club kid vibe that reminds me of the period when The Fall went techno. I would love to have this 12inch. Missing The Moon does everything right.

September's Not So Far Away has chiming guitars and nice tambourine, plus a great vocal melody by Bobby Wratten.

Some of the tracks have a quiet acoustic feel like Roddy Frame used in classic Aztec Camera records (try Think Of These Things, And Before The First Kiss, & A Wrong Turn And Raindrops for this sound). Willow sounds like it had a big influence on Isobell Campbell's band Gentle Waves. Tilting At Windmills had a strong MBV feel.

Faves: 3,10,11,14