{"id":385,"date":"2013-09-24T21:53:46","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T21:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=385"},"modified":"2013-09-25T19:47:24","modified_gmt":"2013-09-25T19:47:24","slug":"rs-465-the-magnetic-fields-69-love-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=385","title":{"rendered":"RS #465: The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
I thought that was a dirty joke, but no, this album actually contains sixty-nine songs about love.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#465<\/p>\n

The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love\u00a0Songs<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n

Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a01999
\nPreviously Owned:<\/strong>\u00a0No
\nFirst Time Listen:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Impressions:\u00a0<\/strong>I know almost\u00a0nothing of these guys\/this guy. Let’s listen…Quirky, jaunty\u00a0opener “Absolutely Cuckoo” then leads into the dour, but funny “I Don’t Believe in\u00a0the Sun.” Kind of cynical, but affecting,\u00a0interesting instrumentation. Sometimes the sound with rinky-dink keyboards, banjos, and ukuleles\u00a0seems a bit too indie-cute, like something you’d see in a hipster movie or commercial, but\u00a0still winning me\u00a0over. Nifty songs with lots of character, nice small-scaled\u00a0detail and production — exact\u00a0opposite of Coldplay.<\/a> “PANTONE 292” is a\u00a0lyric in a song! Cheap appeal at my graphic\u00a0designer heart. \u00a0Loads of other funny little references like that scattered throughout the…WAIT. HOLY SHIT, THEY WEREN’T KIDDING ABOUT\u00a0THE TITLE…I just noticed THERE ARE SIXTY-NINE SONGS ON THIS ALBUM! Chrissakes… I guess I\u00a0know what I’m doing for the next 3\u00a0hours… \u00a0Ok, still catchy, eclectic grab bag of\u00a0love songs. “The Book Of Love,” is pretty heartbreaking and\u00a0sometimes they sound like Velvet Underground (“Meaningless”) or Erasure (“Promises of Eternity.”) Each pretty short, so that helps.\u00a0Tons of fodder for mix CDs, dating\u00a0playlists, etc… Too much to digest at once, probably would best added to iTunes and dispersed throughout shuffle moments (since each song is like 2 minutes long.) Some filler and Stephin Merritt’s flat,\u00a0limited voice can sometimes wear out its welcome, but then he throws in another singer in the mix to keep things lively, like on “Acoustic Guitar.” \u00a0Great economy of songwriting and execution, and like an entire career’s worth of music on one album.<\/p>\n

Starred Songs:<\/strong>\u00a0 “A Chicken With\u00a0His Head Cut Off” (catchy,) “I Don’t Want To\u00a0Get Over You” (doubly catchy,) “The Book Of Love,” “I Think I Need\u00a0A New Heart,” “Papa Was Rodeo”
\nSneaky Track:\u00a0<\/strong>“The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure”
\nShould this album be on the\u00a0list?<\/strong> Yes.\u00a0Kind of pleasantly surprised it’s\u00a0on here.
\nWill you listen to this again?<\/strong>\u00a0Probably not all 3 discs at a time… but\u00a0it’s perfect for ITunes and semi-ironic indie mix CDs or tapes (with\u00a0heart.)
\nVerdict:<\/strong>\u00a0 Lo-fi, indie masterpiece of tons of simple, catchy little love ditties– all bolstered with a nice mix of sarcasm and heartfelt sentiments.
\nRating:<\/strong>\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605 3\/4 (tough to rate and it might rank higher if it was pared down)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n