The Magnetic Fields Return With Realism

Good news for lovers of cantankerous, hyperacusis-afflicted songwriters (also, just plain old good news): Stephin Merritt and his Magnetic Fields will be back with their eighth LP Realism on January 26th. This comes after a year that offered a particularly... CONTINUE READING THE MAGNETIC FIELDS RETURN WITH REALISM »

Posted on November 10, 2009 in Album Art (8 comments)
Tags: Grizzly Bear | Stephin Merritt | The Magnetic Fields

69 Love Songs Turns 10

69 Love Songs was released September 7, 1999 by Merge. I was in school in Buffalo at the time and taking a break from music writing, so I was able to approach the collection entirely as a fan, which has... CONTINUE READING 69 LOVE SONGS TURNS 10»

Posted on September 8, 2009 (40 comments)
Tags: Stephin Merritt | The Flaming Lips | The Magnetic Fields

Stephin Merritt Does Coraline, Promises Many More Musicals

Vanity Fair has pics and a preview of the Magnetic Fielder's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's creepy kid's book. Merritt says: "This is part of my plan to make 50 successful Hollywood musicals." Don't doubt it. ... CONTINUE READING STEPHIN MERRITT DOES CORALINE, PROMISES MANY MORE MUSICALS»

Posted on May 13, 2009 (1 comments)
Tags: Dirty Projectors | Stephin Merritt | The Magnetic Fields

Magnetic Fields Offer Their "Underwear" To Puma L.I.F.T.

From his "Wheels On The Car" to his Wrigley commercial that's impossible to find on-line, etc., the Magnetic Fields' crooner certainly isn't shy about writing jingles or allowing his songs to be transformed into them. See, for instance, this new... CONTINUE READING MAGNETIC FIELDS OFFER THEIR "UNDERWEAR" TO PUMA L.I.F.T.»

Posted on March 17, 2009 in Commercial Appeal, Video (6 comments)
Tags: Britta Phillips | Dean And Britta | Lady Gaga | Stephin Merritt | The Magnetic Fields

Stephin Merritt Goes Backstage With Other Music

These days live video is all the rage (well, that and nostalgia, repetitious festivals, and getting too excited about things that don't deserve it because you want to be "first"). But yeah, from Take-Aways to Black Cabs to P4K.tv, we... CONTINUE READING STEPHIN MERRITT GOES BACKSTAGE WITH OTHER MUSIC»

Posted on July 29, 2008 in Video (7 comments)
Tags: Stephin Merritt | The Magnetic Fields

The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall, NYC 2/23/08

By Amrit Singh As with most Magnetic Fields albums, Distortion is organized around a singular concept. Unlike say 69 Love Songs (love songs, guess how many) or i (songs all beginning with the same letter, guess which one), though,... CONTINUE READING THE MAGNETIC FIELDS @ TOWN HALL, NYC 2/23/08»

Posted on February 25, 2008 in Concert (14 comments)
Tags: Stephin Merritt | The Magnetic Fields

Stephin Merritt On The Strokes, "Horrible Bitch" Scary Spice

Mr. Magnetic Fields is always good for a snarky quote or two (or yeah, oh yeah, three), especially when he's talking about folks other than himself. And we say this as huge fans of the man and his music (and the Fields' show at Town Hall this weekend -- post TK). He's actually fairly mellow in this Time Out New York interview, commenting on the Strokes' "Ask Me Anything" and the Boss's "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" and their Fields-y sounds: "I think they're lovely. I completely agree in the case of the Strokes. I think it sounds like a parody of me, done beautifully -- it's a great melody. [Springsteen's] 'Girls in Their Summer Clothes' is just a Phil Spector pastiche done in a style that resembles my Phil Spector pastiche." He's pissier about Scary Spice -- with good reason -- recounting a tale from when he himself was a writer for TONY and had problems with his cassette recorder while interviewing the Spice Girl: "Melanie B, Scary Spice, was an unbelievably horrible bitch about it. [In loud, obnoxious voice] Have you ever interviewed anybody before? Do I really have to sit and listen to you fiddle with your tape deck?"

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Posted on February 25, 2008 (5 comments)

Stream The Magnetic Fields' Distortion

We've already mentioned how much we love Distortion and how obvious it is Stephin Merritt loves the Jesus & Mary Chain. Now you can listen to the entire record and decide for yourself. Though we know we're right.

» Link

Posted on January 14, 2008 (3 comments)

Stephin Merritt Is Psycho For Psychocandy

Listening to the super duper Distortion -- which we've already prematurely sainted -- it's pretty clear Stephin Merritt likes the Jesus & Mary Chain and their rainy feedback. Listen no further than the a-clang backdrop of "Too Drunk To Dream,"... CONTINUE READING STEPHIN MERRITT IS PSYCHO FOR PSYCHOCANDY»

Posted on January 7, 2008 (39 comments)
Tags: Stephin Merritt | The Jesus And Mary Chain | The Magnetic Fields

NPR Asks Stephin Merritt To Write A Song (Very Quickly), Hosts Carrie Brownstein's Blog

NPR's All Songs Considered has this new segment "Project Song" where a musician type's given 48 hours to write a tune based on the materials the Public Radio peeps provide. The first person selected, our favorite hangdog Stephin Merritt, kick... CONTINUE READING NPR ASKS STEPHIN MERRITT TO WRITE A SONG (VERY QUICKLY), HOSTS CARRIE BROWNSTEIN'S BLOG»

New Gothic Archies - The Tragic Treasury

It's been almost a decade since Stephin Merritt's last Gothic Archies album, but that's about to change thanks to Lemony Snicket. We haven't actually read Daniel Handler's Series Of Unfortunate Events books but, from what we gather, the author and... CONTINUE READING NEW GOTHIC ARCHIES - THE TRAGIC TREASURY»

Posted on September 27, 2006 (13 comments)
Tags: Stephin Merritt | The Gothic Archies | The Magnetic Fields