The Magnetic Fields - Distortion Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 01.18.2008
Stephin Merritt's group releases their eighth album. How does it stack up this early in 2008?
Members:
Stephin Merritt
Shirley Simms: Vocals
Claudia Gonson: Percussion/Piano/Farfisa Organ/Drums/Background Vocals
Sam Davol: Cello
Daniel Handler: Accordion
John Woo: Lead Guitar
Orgiasts: A. Klasinski/I. Pearle/R. Stevens
Length: 38:46
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's 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.
I guess my comments should begin with the title, Distortion, which is certainly deliberate. The entire album was evidently intended to be grubby and noisy, which is not normal for the polished Merritt. I'll be honest. I am not a long time fan of the Magnetic Fields. As a matter of fact, this was my introduction to their canon. After catching some of the rave reviews, and spotting the hot pink cover, I couldn't help but take notice. Nonetheless, I did my homework, and soaked in many of their solid older tunes like "All the Umbrellas in London" and "100,000 Fireflies". It is not hard to recognize Merritt's talent, and how Distortion differs from other efforts.
A proper word to describe the impression left is quirky. It would be right at home on the Juno soundtrack. The biggest compliment I can afford is the lyrics, which are in a word, brilliant. They are also clever, funny, and depressing all rolled into one. For instance, "Too Drunk to Dream" commences with "Sober, life is a prison/Shitfaced, it is a blessing." While the lyrics and beats change dramatically throughout the album, that distant noise unites every tune as a lingering entity. The opening track, "Three-way" consists of only those words belted three times. It's humorous to see this in the booklet. This greeting resonates as the most entertaining three minutes of the package.
The beginning and end of Distortion are the shining moments. After that Clash-like opening, "California Girls" infuses a comical hatred that results in a simply terrific song. Towards the middle, while the tracks range from average to genuinely good with "Mr. Mistletoe", "Please Stop Dancing", and "Drive on, Driver", the lyrics have a tendency to drown in the various instruments and background grime. The concluding bundle focuses on some interesting topics like zombies ("Zombie Boy"), nuns ("The Nun's Litany"), and then ends appropriately bizarre with "Courtesans."
I can envision a split in opinion on the tracks. Some will drift more to the numbers where Shirley Simms expresses her delightfully bright and smooth voice, while the rest will enjoy Merritt's obvious bass tone more. I quite adored it all, but I would have to say there is something about Merritt's deep lamenting vocals that is infectious. His passion is indisputable on my favorite, "I'll Dream Alone", where he says "I'll dream alone without you/I'll dream alone if I must/because I guess our little castle in the sky just turned to dust."
The influence for Distortion is widely regarded as The Jesus and Mary Chains' Psychocandy, as Merritt himself has cited. The Magnetic Fields have made an album that will only get better with repeated listening. Merritt swings in and out of acerbic indie pop and touching love ballads with such a comfortable flow. It is not perfect, but what is so fabulous about the Magnetic Fields is how inventive they have been throughout their career with assorted concepts. Distortion is no different in its approach to rock.
The 411: Distortion has a neat sound to it, and the album is sure to provide at least a couple tracks that will suit your fancy. Stephin Merritt has not advanced his lyrics as much as he has his sound, again, but that is the highlight here. You never know what to anticipate with him, and that is part of the beauty of the Magnetic Fields. The album somewhat falters in the middle, but it is definitely an early gem of 2008.
