The Magnetic Fields has always been a band that defined the alternative scope of the music world with its lyrical mastermind in Stephin Merritt and the eclectic use of musical instruments. In their 1999 album, "69 Love Songs", we got more than our fair share of wit and charm from this band and were inundated with electro-pop. Although that was The Magnetic Fields breakthrough record that sustained their popularity until their previous album "I", they just didn't seem like the band to break out and produce something that would attract to the masses. But after struggling through the frustration and less intriguing 2004 album they have arrived at a new port of their musical career.
After 17 years of partaking in a very little fan base the sun is coming over the horizon for some very talented musicians. Distortion is a wake up call for those who need a little more rock n'roll with their gritty hard truth lyrics. Distortion, the album and not the constant whizzing sound you hear in every one of its tracks, continues with Merritt's great sense of humor and exceptional talent that he has displayed in his previous works. The first track, Three-Way, portrays the simple yet majestic riff of this album. And without the distortion it just wouldn't sound the same! The second track is a nostalgic Beach Boys like song in California Girls. It describes the picturesque world of California girls coked up and living off of daddy's money. Ahh what a dream. The rest of the album reiterates Merritt's style as it veers off from his attack at making a rock album and comes back down to earth with a good female vocalist, contemplative lyrics, and just good old plain music.
To sum up my first experience with this band and why I decided to pick The Magnetic Fields, I believe a lot of that can be told just by listening to their music. It has a unique style and an eccentric style that is unlike any artist out there. I feel this music more than I can understand it, but I'm sure as Stephin Merritt and all the other musical writers out there did, they too wrote not what they understand, but what they feel.
