Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs [1999]
This is a perfect example of the sort of album which has rock critics wetting their pants but the record-buying public staying away in droves. Which is a real shame, since this has steadily grown into far and away one of my favorite albums of recent years. Prolific songwriter Stephin Merritt (who also helms several other projects, including the 6ths, Future Bible Heroes, and the Gothic Archies) has cobbled together a 3-disc box set of... well, 69 love songs. It's a sprawling, delightful mess, managing to be poignantly romantic, scathingly cynical, and even laugh-out-loud funny at times. The sound is dominated by Merritt's lo-fi keyboard sounds, acoustic guitars and intermittent percussion, yet covers an astoundingly diverse array of styles -- hard to pin down, but you'll catch glimmers of Morrissey's bathos, Jonathan Richman's naif innocence, Depeche Mode-styled New Wave synth-pop, Phil Spector wall-of-sound 50's mini-epics, Steven Sondheim musicals, Residents-influenced electronic experimentation, and even country music. Merritt is unquestionably a lyrical genius, and it's definitely the sort of work best enjoyed with your full attention; Merritt is unrivaled in coming up with unbelievably clever rhymes (not too many songwriters out there would attempt to rhyme "kosher" with R&B songwriting team "Holland-Dozier-Holland"). Also keeping this interesting is the willingness of Merritt (one of the few out gay men in indie rock) to freely interchange gender roles throughout the songs, keeping this from ever delving into dull old boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl cliches which might otherwise pop up in a project like this.
Naturally, over the course of nearly 3 hours of music there are quite a few songs that you won't care to hear more than once, making this ideal for culling down to a single tape or cd-r. (To be honest, I haven't listened to the entire 3-disc box more than 2 or 3 times; the 25-song cd-r I made, however, hasn't left my car in six months.) Merritt's chilly baritone can be an acquired taste (and the "guest" vocalists are a mixed bag), though the casual lack of polish does help contribute to the laid-back "hey, let's put on a show" feel Merritt was after here. If you don't want to cough up the $$$ for the box, it's also available as three separate 23-song discs; the strongest is disc 3 (but the middle disc does offer "Papa Was a Rodeo," which I can personally guarantee is the most unforgettable gay trucker country love ballad you'll ever hear). Of course, if you're at all interested in checking out a truly monemental and innovative work, you're far better off splurging for the whole thing (plus, then you get the booklet, featuring a song-by-song analysis by the dryly witty Merritt).
Pop Kulcher
