WAKEUPANDSMELLTHEMUSIC.COM: Brewing: The Magnetic Fields

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WAKEUPANDSMELLTHEMUSIC.COM: Brewing: The Magnetic Fields

Brewing: The Magnetic Fields

The Magnetic Fields are the creative outlet of singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt. The band (left to right in the photo) are Sam Davol (cello/flute), Merritt (vocals/ukulele/keyboards), John Woo (guitar/banjo), and Claudia Gonson (vocals/piano). Merritt's lyrics are often about love that are ironic, bitter, and humorous. Their best known work is likely the critically acclaimed 1999 three-volume concept album 69 Love Songs. Now, Merritt and company are about to finish a second trilogy, this one without the use of any synthesizers, consisting of i (2004), Distortion (2008), and the upcoming Realism due out January 26th on Nonesuch Records. Merritt has described his newest work as "my folk album" with the instrumentation largely acoustic in stark contrast to the noise pop of Distortion. He avoided the use of a traditional drum kit, further separating the sound from his previous work, and didn't employ any synthesizer again, completing the band's "no-synth trilogy". Here's a song to download, the track list, and cover art.