Hey look, it's a Magnetic Fields thread! Let us discuss.

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

IWasBored

Blue Crack Supplier
Joined
Nov 8, 2002
Messages
36,783
LM had to inform me they have an new album out in march, because i'm a pretty lousy fan. i mentioned that while i was hijacking 212er's wild nothing thread that it took several years and my brother discovering the awesomeness of stephin merritt in order for me to realize there are songs that are 1) equally wonderful 2) if not better than "born on a train". i was amused by chicken with it's head cut off, and too drunk to dream, but for quite some time ignored the handful of other MF tunes i had acquired from somewhere years ago. namely ignoring "all the umbrellas in london," which has become one of my favorite songs, and i cannot stop listening to it. i pretty much quit watching band documentaries, but i did sit through the strange powers one as it was streaming on netflix. it was cool. that probably helped more than anything in reminding me i need to delve further into the band's catalog.

band...merritt...whichever pronoun i'm supposed to use. i do tend to hate when bands, who we then feel compelled to call "they," are technically groups of multiple people we should be calling "they," but at the end of the day one person is the consistent brains behind them. i still get the impression the magnetic fields are more of a "they" than xiu xiu, anyway.

but i've really only heard about 2/3 of 69 love songs, half of distortion, and some random other tunes. lest i semi-cobblerize this matter come march 6th when the new album hits, i will have to rectify very, very soon.

latbots_large.jpg


Track Listing:

1 God Wants Us to Wait
2 Andrew in Drag
3 Your Girlfriend's Face
4 Born for Love
5 I'd Go Anywhere with Hugh
6 Infatuation (with your gyration)
7 Only Boy in Town
8 The Machine in Your Hand
9 Goin' Back to the Country
10 I've Run Away to Join the Fairies
11 The Horrible Party
12 My Husband's Pied a Terre
13 I Don't Link Your Tone
14 Quick!
15 All She Cares About Is Mariachi
 
The theme of the new album is that all of the songs are really short, I guess. The synthesizers are back and there doesn't seem to be a lyrical theme.

If you love All The Umbrellas In London, IWB, I see no reason why Get Lost wouldn't be one of your favorite albums. The great thing about the best Magnetic Fields albums is that they are taut and not clogged with bullshit. I have no idea why 69 Love Songs is so good.
 
i went and bought it off itunes because you're probably right about that. i hate itunes so much, btw. sure, it's nice being able to go click, click, download, 10 bucks later i have music rather than a 45 minute drive to a store that probably won't actually have the album (on which i end up spending more money on other albums that i also need, but still don't have what i went there for). but i do miss being able to do that. come on, i'm still spending the money anyway and not illegally downloading it. why do i need to wait a week for the thing to show up in the mail (and cost several dollars more) just because i haven't wanted to get with the times? lame.
 
IWB only likes them because they have a song called "Take Ecstasy With Me". Friggin' hippies.

Holiday is the only album of theirs I own / have heard.
 
Naturally I love "Take Ecstasy With Me," and naturally, I have taken ecstasy with people.

i haven't heard the song, nor done that. i will do the former, the latter however i'm certainly too prickly a person for a drug that makes you think everything is soft and want to touch it.
 
u2popmofo said:
Wha?! Do you not have Holiday?

Joyful, I've randomly heard tracks from 69 Love Songs, and liked them. Meant to get it for quite a while years back, and just forgot.

no, at the moment i only have distortion and get lost, plus some random songs. which is why ive been listening to strange wears via youtube all week :(. working on it.
 
more rhymes than dr seuss. i love it.

not catholic either

or guilty, cos i will be buying the thing and seeing the band live


don't really dig "born for love", but otherwise...fantastic album.
 
Damn, first Magnetic Fields album I don't like AT ALL, nothing interesting and I was actually quite glad I could turn it off when the last song ended.

No really catchy songs for me this time around, might have overdone it on the (lesser of the 2) woman singing as well this time.
 
Does he know you can actually turn an album/song off before it ends if you don't like it? I just got done saying I haven't made it through we take care of our own yet in its entirety in the Springsteen thread for that reason. How in the hell can one claim going back to the country and Andrew in drag aren't beyond catchy? What on earth do you consider catchy?

What, hipsterspork didn't like it either? Wasn't there a lot of hate for distortion, too? Or am I just remembering something wrong? My ears must be broken, apparently everyone hates the stuff I like. Oh dear. Whatever shall I do.
 
Yes.

Sadly, that review is not out of step with the critical consensus. It has been unduly harsh on this album, especially after the last two were quite well liked. I think this one is a huge improvement, personally.
 
Back
Top Bottom