― Mark, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― BadAssFrey, Tuesday, 11 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 11 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― felicity (felicity), Friday, 13 September 2002 02:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
If you're asking, "Ernest, aren't you a little bit obsessive?", the answer is yes.
― Ernest P. (ernestp), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 02:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 03:13 (nineteen years ago) link
rufus, who i like but not nearly as much, has an entirely separate problem. it's not mawkishness. it's that he isn't a very good lyricist.
― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 03:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 12:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 15:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 16:07 (nineteen years ago) link
he's done some great stuff since then, but he's never been the same, having entirely given up on his homemade synth-pop attack by the time of 69 love songs. he's going for something entirely different now. but he was a pop song machine back then, and wasps' nests weren't throwaways but rather the mark of a guy who had too many good songs to contain within his own records. a lot of those 6th songs were staples of the mag fields' live shows in those days, too.
― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 16:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― the bellefox, Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Sunday, 19 February 2006 21:39 (eighteen years ago) link
But the true answer, I think, is: whichever is playing. For they are both so irresistible!
I really like the melody of the second half of the verse of 'Young & Insane': 'the record store / is execrable'. Maybe I mean I like the lyric too. I don't really know the whole lyric. I like also the way that at the end of the chorus he flatly repeats 'Young & Insane', just to make things clear.
It is queer how those two songs are so far ahead of the rest of that ep, which is droning rather than delightful; unless I am forgetting something.
― the bellefox, Sunday, 19 February 2006 23:53 (eighteen years ago) link
― the bellefox, Monday, 20 February 2006 00:01 (eighteen years ago) link
― toby (tsg20), Monday, 20 February 2006 01:38 (eighteen years ago) link
It is a great phrase, and it always seemed to me to promise a song of great depth. I don't think the song itself is that song - it's just a piece of tremendous freshness.
But what does the chorus mean, then? That love's real home is in Paris ... that it is Spring now ... and so it is leaving Merritt (in NYC? you could hardly sing the song in Paris) and flying home ... leaving him antipathetic to the addressee?
― the bellefox, Monday, 20 February 2006 10:59 (eighteen years ago) link
"tremendous freshness" - excellent!
― toby (tsg20), Monday, 20 February 2006 14:37 (eighteen years ago) link
― cousin ill, Monday, 20 February 2006 15:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― the bellefox, Wednesday, 22 February 2006 14:44 (eighteen years ago) link
You're out of luck there.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 15:04 (eighteen years ago) link
I'd have told Sundar some good Stephin stories when I was in Toronto if I'd known he liked them!
If Ned hears Kiki & Herb cover TMF, the scales may fall from his ears.
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 16:04 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 16:06 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 16:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― the bellefox, Wednesday, 22 February 2006 16:31 (eighteen years ago) link
I am collecting essays and articles on the work of Stephin Merritt for a book and am still accepting proposals. Just wanted to stop by and make that announcement.
email susancallow at hotmail dot com if you are interesting in submitting!
― Susancallow, Monday, 29 May 2006 16:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― Marmotdeth (marmotwolof), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 03:29 (seventeen years ago) link
― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 03:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 12:56 (seventeen years ago) link
New album with an intriguing title coming in January: http://houseoftomorrow.com/archives/000057.php
Anyone know anything more about this than they say here?
― caek, Monday, 29 October 2007 13:54 (sixteen years ago) link
stephan merritt djing at the george and dragon in hackney tonight. kinda wanna go but too fuggin far for a monday.
― Upt0eleven, Monday, 10 December 2007 12:07 (sixteen years ago) link
word is merge is releasing vinyl editions of 'the charm of the highway strip' and 'get lost', possibly others.
― omar little, Thursday, 10 April 2008 03:45 (sixteen years ago) link
Bellefox, you're in 2006, now.
I love that song, though.
― bamcquern, Thursday, 10 April 2008 05:27 (sixteen years ago) link
Or, like strongly.
Do Merge generally do a good job of vinyl remastering? I'd quite like highway strip.
― The Wayward Johnny B, Thursday, 10 April 2008 07:53 (sixteen years ago) link
"Young and Insane" is one of my favorite MFs songs! Though maybe you have to have lived in a town with nothing but a brown school and dead shopping mall (or two!) to appreciate it.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Thursday, 10 April 2008 17:31 (sixteen years ago) link
MF has a lot of details like that. Most writerly music is my favorite music.
― bamcquern, Thursday, 10 April 2008 18:24 (sixteen years ago) link
July European tour just announced: http://houseoftomorrow.com/archives/000066.php
Tickets for the London shows on sale here as of a couple of minutes ago: http://artistticket.com/themagneticfields
― caek, Friday, 11 April 2008 07:59 (sixteen years ago) link
i've spent way too much on tickets recently and i'm still not too sure about Distortion. But I can't not go to this. Anyone know what cadogan hall is like as a venue?
― Upt0eleven, Friday, 11 April 2008 08:46 (sixteen years ago) link
No, but you're right: il faut y aller.
I probably feel much the same about those two songs as I did, in 2006.
The vinyl reissue seems to me either a Merritt retro whim, or a way to make a small chunk of easy cash.
― the pinefox, Friday, 11 April 2008 09:18 (sixteen years ago) link
i think it's the home of the royal philharmonic, it looks swanky as hell, i just got front stall tickets from here
http://www.artistticket.com/
distortion is a real sustained grower, i wildly prefer it to i, there are a couple of ropey moments in the middle though
― cw, Friday, 11 April 2008 09:21 (sixteen years ago) link
House of Tomorrow says those are limited / reserved etc - and tickets will go on sale for THE GENERAL PUBLIC tomorrow.
please could you explain how you got those tickets; are you not a member of the general public?
― the pinefox, Friday, 11 April 2008 09:33 (sixteen years ago) link
Or, what is the distinction between these 'reserved' tickets and others? Isn't any ticket reserved once you have bought it?
I would genuinely like to know, about this, because I would like to buy.
― the pinefox, Friday, 11 April 2008 09:52 (sixteen years ago) link
i have blue blood
are there no tickets available now? thursday seemed to be sold out, i got em for wednesday
the mailout suggests they're just good seats
presumably reserved for people on the house of tomorrow list and local dignatries like me
― cw, Friday, 11 April 2008 09:56 (sixteen years ago) link
sold out already? within 2 hours of going on sale? what is this - Bruce Springsteen? Morrissey in CA?
― the pinefox, Friday, 11 April 2008 09:57 (sixteen years ago) link
naw, i think it's just a few rows at the front, you should keep an eye on the site, maybe they'll release some more as the day goes on? otherwise you could chance your arm with general public tomorrow
― cw, Friday, 11 April 2008 09:59 (sixteen years ago) link
I see. ... all seats are going to be same price, aren't they: best part of £30?
amazing what Merritt can get away with these days.
― the pinefox, Friday, 11 April 2008 10:09 (sixteen years ago) link
i paid 51 quid for two with booking fee, i've had a look at the seating plan and the hall looks lovely, i can't imagine theres a bad seat
― cw, Friday, 11 April 2008 10:14 (sixteen years ago) link
both nights now appear sold out, for this limited edition pre-order shenanigan.
― the pinefox, Friday, 11 April 2008 10:23 (sixteen years ago) link
m'kay, so neither of the only two enlightened souls I know who would be prepared to pay £25 to go to this can make it. do i buy two anyway and hope I find someone nearer the time who's prepared to take one, or just the one and go all on my lonesome?
― Upt0eleven, Friday, 11 April 2008 20:05 (sixteen years ago) link