JT Woodruff – Field Medicine

Having successfully avoided Hawthorn Heights’ output since mistakenly listening to If Only You Were Lonely nearly a decade ago, I now find myself listening to front man JT Woodruff’s third solo outing in a contextual vacuum.  With little more than the musical direction guiding Field Medicine to comment on, one thing is clear: Woodruff’s solo output couldn’t be further from that of his full band counterpart.  Toying with a combination of folk/country, pop rock and some early 00’s emo, Field Medicine makes for a listen characterized by varying styles and quality. 

Field Medicine’s most enjoyable segments are comparable to Thrice’s foray into folk that characterized part three of the Alchemy Index.  Songs like “Locked In A Swell” and the title track take a loose southern inspiration that finds Woodruff calming his vocal chords and wispily singing cleanly without the squeaky pitch he’s capable of.  The former track sparingly deploys pitchier vocals during the each chorus without overindulging, hitting the sweet spot of equilibrium.  The latter omits them entirely and excels in their absence.

Building on the success of Woodruff’s alternate vocals, a handful of alternative inspired tracks also shine through when he plugs in his guitar and draws upon additional instrumentation.  “Too Far To Crawl” and “Cups of Coffee” takes on a sleepy synth speckled personae loosely drawing inspiration from 80’s inspired indie whereas “Red Eyes” further pursues Woodruff’s country exposition on a grander scale.  Additionally, the duet with guest vocalist Jane Decker on “Dark Young Days” adds an unexpected layer of finesse late in the album. 

Of course not every song is a masterpiece, and on an album spanning nearly fifty-five minutes, the good must be taken with the not so good.  By this point in Woodruff’s career his whiny intonation has become an inseparable element of his personality.  Songs like “Blonde Haired Blue Eyed Girl” will be grating on all but the most die hard Hawthorne Heights and nostalgic emo enthusiasts.  Combined with middling, shallow lyrics on ”Candle On Still Water” (”your touch makes me feel like I’m falling down, your heartbeat is the only sound”), many tracks overstay their welcome (kind of like the worst of Taking Back Sunday).  “Light Blue Astro Van” bucks trends with some sunny nostalgic rays but serves as the lone exception rather than the rule to much of Field Medicine’s filler. 

In an album that runs about twenty minutes past it’s welcome, it’s hard to recommend all fifteen tracks rather than provide a shopping list for cherry pickers.  While the aforementioned highlights are truly worthwhile tracks that showcase JT Woodruff’s diversity and potential as a solo artist, the other eight or so tracks simply regress to Woodruff’s comfort zone.  Woodruff would be advised to target a style and gun for it in concise EP format.  Until then, take your pick.