| Magnetic Fields - Distortion |
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On your fist listen of "Three-Way," the first track on Magnetic Fields' eighth studio album, you will wonder if you have the right CD. You do, but instead of the guitars and strings that were previously so prominent, Distortion has Stephin Merritt going back to the synth pop of previous albums. Merritt croons with that distinctive bass voice about love and getting over it. On "Please Stop Dancing," Claudia Gonson and Merritt plead with an ex-lover over distorted guitars and other odd noises. "The Nun's Litany" is a prime example of Merritt's clever, but odd songwriting. Gonson sings full heartedly, "I want to be a Playboy bunny," to play the Nun who dreams of being something a little different. On "Too Drunk to Dream," Merritt begins a cappella, but, with a bit of distortion, the hooky drum and guitar come in. Merritt has a way of masking pain behind a happy beat and honest lyrics to make you forget that the song is about drinking to forget. The lines, "It's you, you heartless bastard/ You're my one and only," rings true for most of us. Merritt is the cynical, but still hopeful, New Yorker we can all appreciate. - Shannon Carlin
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