The Magnetic Fields - Realism Review

Posted by Chad Webb on 02.14.2010

The third album in the “no-synth” trilogy is like watching The Matrix Revolutions after the first two.







Members:
Stephin Merritt
Johnny Blood: Flugelhorn/Tuba/Vocals
Shirley Simms: Vocals
Claudia Gonson: Vocals/Piano/Tablas/Cajon/Leaves
Sam Davol: Cello
Daniel Handler: Accordion/Vocals
John Woo: Banjo/Cuatro/Sitar
Ida Pearle: Violin
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Length: 35:17
Label: Nonesuch Records

The Band

The Magnetic Fields is one of four groups created by singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt. They are based in New York (Manhattan), and released their first album in 1991, entitled Distant Plastic Trees, followed in 1992 by The Wayward Bus. The two are currently available as a compilation. The Magnetic Fields have a sound that is normally a synth-pop type of music that would be reminiscent of offerings from the 1980's.

The band began in 1990 as Merritt's studio project. He played all the instruments, while his friend Claudia Gonson helped out a great deal. Gonson was involved with Merritt's high school group, The Zinnias. The pair lived in Boston, and that is where the first show was held to perform Merritt's compositions. The first show in Cambridge, MA was, to put it kindly, not packed. The audience who attended expected to see a different group, more specifically, a spin-off of Galaxie 500, called Magnetophone.

After The Wayward Bus and Distant Plastic Trees, in which Susan Anway did the vocals, Merritt completed most of the singing himself, although Claudia Gonson, now the band's manager, also sung frequently. Gonson has been with Merritt since the beginning. Until now, the Magnetic Fields most popular album is the triple disc 69 Love Songs, which truly displays the band's strengths as a unit, and especially Merritt's abilities as a songwriter. On that album, which has approximately four vocalists (Dudley Klute, Shirley Simms, and L.D. Beghtol), numerous out of the ordinary instruments are utilized to marvelous effect such as a banjo, ukulele, accordion, and so on.

Stephin Merritt is about the opposite of a standard rock star. The concerts are known for being very restrained, and Merritt himself is said to have an extremely "dry personality." He also apparently has a contempt for clapping, and covers one of his ears. This is caused by a hearing problem he possesses which amplifies the applause in his head. He is also openly gay, and some have referred his brand of music as "gay synth pop." He has recorded songs for the films Pieces of April, Eband and Charley, and the show The Adventures of Pete and Pete.

Merritt's other groups include The 6th's, Future Bible Heroes, and The Gothis Archies, known as a "goth-bubblegum band." They have supplied music for the audiobooks of the Lemon Snicket series of stories. The Magnetic Fields’ previous album, i, reached #152 on the Billboard charts. Every song begins with that letter. They have gone from the labels Feel Good All Over to Merge Records, and now Nonesuch Records. On Nonesuch Records, the band released Distortion, which debuted at #77 on the Billboard charts

The Tracks

1. You Must be Out of Your Mind
2. Interlude
3. We Are Having A Hootenany
4. I Don't Know What To Say
5. The Doll's Tea party
6. Everything is One Big Christmas Tree
7. Walk a Lonely Road
8. Always Already Gone
9. Seduced and Abandoned
10. Better Things
11. Painted Flower
12. The Dada Polka
13. From a Sinking Boat

The Album

Calling this album a disappointment may be an understatement, but that word sums up my feeling after listening to this bizarre and haughty collection of songs. It is the third installment of a "no synth" trilogy from band leader Stephen Merritt. He described this as "My folk album", and I suppose the folksy aspects are present, but it's hardly accurate. Comparing this with the previous albums in this trilogy will leave you shaking your head in disbelief. A handful of the tracks are average at best, but this is largely a failure.

"You Must Be Out of Your Mind" opens the album and relatively satisfactory, although a bit sloppy since the "folk" sound is a bit off. Generally, it is a fun track, but the rest of the material might tarnish what good qualities the starter has. "Interlude" is an odd and instantly forgettable two minutes, but it is followed by the upbeat "We Are Having a Hootenany", which is a tune that one would play if you were on a camping trip sitting around the fire, roasting marshmallows, and telling ghost stories. Perhaps Merritt was imagining a jamboree, but as a song, it is irritating. "I Don't Know What to Say" does indeed have a message, but the title is repeated so much one wonders if Merritt does have anything to say. I know what to say. It sounds lazy.

The melodies on "The Doll's Tea Party" will strike you as something one might hear at, well, a tea party for dolls. If you can't fathom what that might sound like, listen to a clip of this, and you will understand. What could possibly be the response if someone heard anyone listening to "The Doll's Tea Party"? The excitement doesn't cease with "Everything is One Big Christmas Tree", and if you were guessing that this is a Christmas flavored number, you guessed right. It might sound fine on the next volume of A Very Special Christmas, but mixed with these ridiculous songs, it is out of place and not even all that good.

Track #7, “Walk a Lonely Road” is almost the beginning of a second half to this album as the material is much more restrained. Merritt sounds bored here. This song had potential, but that was never realized or fully attempted. “Always Already Gone” continues the mistakes as it would have been superior with Merritt at the lead vocals. Still, this is an average offering, one of the less bothersome entries. “Seduced and Abandoned” reminded me of a diddy you would hear at a Renaissance Fair, or perhaps during a dance in an English period piece drama. You get the idea.

“Better Things” is yet another addition to the pile of middling tunes. Everyone performs with such a lack of energy that it will make you scratch your head. “Painted Flower” connects more with “The Doll’s Tea Party” in that I would gladly listen to the song if I was frolicking in the garden. I doubt many of us do that anymore, so who would have the urge to revisit this lameness? “The Dada Polka” I suppose suits the eccentric nature of certain songs, but the problem is, none of them interlock properly. This particular song is reminiscent of something one would hear on a trip in the mini-van with the family. It’s that type of near maddening music that you’d be forced to listen to. There is also an environmental message laced with this one if that’s your fancy, and it is the only time the electric guitar can be heard. “From a Sinking Boat” is solidly emotional and sorrowing, but it ultimately goes nowhere, much like Realism as a whole.

For regular listeners of the Magnetic Fields, you will notice that the cover acts as an inversion of sorts to the Distortion artwork. Merritt thought of the two as a pair, but they would be stark in contrast to each other. He considered using the titles True and False, but could not decided which would go to which. The concentration on folk is not entirely unexplored for the group. This bears the strongest resemblance to 2004’s i, but the difference lies in the carrying out and effecting. The appropriate marks are missed on Realism.

The band experiments on Realism as if they will never have the chance again. They utilize the flugelhorn, violin, banjo, sitar, and many others, but do not accentuate them adeptly. This album comes off as creepy and self-aware. Merritt’s monotone voice can be a magnificent asset or a huge flaw, and sadly, the latter happens this time around. There is a clear distinction if one soaks in the album from songs where they were trying too hard or simply not trying hard enough.

The 411: I am a relatively new fan of the Magnetic Fields, but once I heard Distortion, I was hooked, and checked out their past efforts quickly. I enjoyed everything that I have heard, and when this album was released I was excited. What I heard this time supremely disappointing. The aim on Realism was “non-traditional”, and that would have been fine, but it comes off as tacky instead of fresh or novel. If you heard these songs separate from one another, they would still be irritating and embarrassing. If Realism is the first Magnetic Fields album you hear, many would dismiss them as pretentious, and they would be correct. Unfortunately that attitude has been effective in the past. Here it is a severe wound.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]