anyone see the Brooklyn shows?
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Monday, 5 December 2016 19:17 (seven years ago) link
A number of things have always put me off this obviously great music-- my own (justified) projection of ego-centricity on to Merritt, the obsessiveness of his tru fans, a couple of lousy shows, etc. But nothing put me off more than the fact that, late 90s and early 00s, his albums were full-price and yet felt and sounded cheap... there was this feeling of parsimony to the transaction of buying-and-consuming his music, like I was being grifted.
But these days I've been streaming it on Tidal and I kind of can't believe the breadth and scope of it all, all the subtle details that went into every track. And the feeling of being scammed has dissipated... it feels positively generous, for some reason. I can't think of many other artists whose work I can say I enjoy more in the streaming context than this band
― fgti is for (flamboyant goon tie included), Sunday, 7 October 2018 14:24 (five years ago) link
That's really interesting. I've never considered the value proposition of music that way. Though there was a time when I tried to love albums more based on how much I paid (import albums costing $20 got my plays than used bin items).
For some artists, the original context of creation and release has added immensely to my appreciation and enjoyment, whereas with other removing that context is better. Magnetic Fields land in the latter for you.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Sunday, 7 October 2018 15:50 (five years ago) link
Oh, for sure. I paid $30 for a bootleg Neu! CD when I was 19 and it felt like it was worth it. And I always enjoyed Magnetic Fields, there's just something about the thesis of it, compositionally and lyrically, that didn't mesh well with "paying $18-$20 for a 33 minute CD" (as I did for The Charm Of The Highway Strip). Or the inglorious expense of the 3CD 69 Love Songs boxset... which, iirc, at the time seemed like the music object that "only my more wealthy friends could afford". (Maybe this feeling was, at the time, coloured by the fact that I was buying up classic-after-classic Bowie albums at $10 a pop).
There was a discussion upthread about the thesis of this band (and Merritt's other projects) and it does seem to imply less of a "you are listening to an essential album when you listen to a Magnetic Fields album" experience and more of a sly-wink takes-the-entire-oeuvre-to-understand-it subversion of what albums are, what songs are, what lyrics are, when instrumentation is, and what emotions themselves are and how we describe them. OK I'm getting pretty babbly just gonna stop typing and hit it
― fgti is for (flamboyant goon tie included), Sunday, 7 October 2018 17:57 (five years ago) link
lol
stephin merritt cruised a guy off of jeopardy. what a legend pic.twitter.com/gmnpyhtbV7— chat noir š (@zrok_) November 14, 2018
― affects breves telnet (Gummy Gummy), Saturday, 17 November 2018 05:17 (five years ago) link
also xpost but i find the more "spacious" acoustic production of much of 69 love songs to sound much "cheaper" or just tackier in its way than the stovepot wall of sound he got with a bunch of synths on the earlier stuff.
― affects breves telnet (Gummy Gummy), Saturday, 17 November 2018 05:30 (five years ago) link
I settled on these five albums.
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 December 2018 02:20 (five years ago) link
No Holiday? Sixths?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 02:35 (five years ago) link
No Holiday, and The 6ths work in isolation
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 December 2018 02:58 (five years ago) link
Jim and William Reid never recorded a lo-fi record that didnāt peter out after the recordās lone āJust Like Honeyā or āHappy When It Rains.ā
umm, trying to disentangle this..
― Mark G, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 11:55 (five years ago) link
I listened once again to 69, around 5 years since the last time, over two days. Because it can be done.
I made a start on 50, I think it needs to be taken five songs at a time. I'm going "mmm/mmm/Yeah/mmm/Yeah" or some variant.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 11:58 (five years ago) link
I swallowed it in smaller chunks.
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 December 2018 12:06 (five years ago) link
"i" might be my fave 21st-century one
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 19 December 2018 12:14 (five years ago) link
1. Holiday2. 69 Love Songs3. Get Lost4. The Charm of the Highway Strip5. The Wayward Bus6. Distortion
Gave 50 a number of tries, but it doesn't work for me at all. Even the songs I liked I liked hearing exactly once.
But then I'm weird, because I also think that, much like The Magnetic Fields, the Reid Bros have made 5 records that are better than Distortion.
― dorsalstop, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 12:16 (five years ago) link
I prefer their comp, a glory.
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 December 2018 12:19 (five years ago) link
Thatās a good list. However, the wayward bus maybe should be higher due to 100,000 fireflies, merrittās best song.
― TrĻµĻµship, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 13:28 (five years ago) link
I really like i, and think The 6ths records are kind of overrated (but "Movies In My Head" is top 5 SM songs for me)
― flamboyant goon tie included, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 15:14 (five years ago) link
I totally agree.
āYou donāt hold a candle to the movies in my headā is brutal
― TrĻµĻµship, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 15:17 (five years ago) link
i has my favourite ever couple of couplets too:
So you quote love unquote meWell, stranger things have come to beBut let's agree to disagreeCause I don't believe youI don't believe you
You tell me I'm not not cuteIts truth or falsity is mootCause honesty's not your strong suitAnd I don't believe youI don't believe you
― flamboyant goon tie included, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 15:21 (five years ago) link
i is so underrated, love that album to pieces (the weak tracks on it are especially weak, though, which may be why it never makes these types of lists)
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 15:56 (five years ago) link
we made the Shaggs sound like Yes
― reggie (qualmsley), Saturday, 22 December 2018 13:44 (five years ago) link
I don't really know Magnetic Field too much, but saw this pre-MF band Buffalo Rome show from 1988 pop up and it sounds pretty great, especially the song around 5:10 ("Yellow Bird"?) Maybe some of these became Magnetic Field songs?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRdqpW-uE64&t=1943s
― city worker, Wednesday, 11 December 2019 15:03 (four years ago) link
gah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRdqpW-uE64
!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!! Wow. Yes - that song you mentioned became "Take Ecstasy with Me" recorded by The Magnetic Fields. There are some Zinnias songs in the set: "Leeches", "Kings" (later recorded by MF), "Otters" (part of "Otters" was used in the MF track "Jeremy"). Apparently they sing/play "Plant White Roses" backwards, according to the YT comment?! "Railroad Boy" and "Josephine" were later recorded by MF, too. Also played is "The Tiny Goat" later recorded by the Gothic Archies (who I am seeing tomorrow in NYC). Also, that's Susan Anway on lead vocals, right?!?! On the far left is Johny Blood, who plays tuba in MF. So I think Stephin was 23 and Claudia was 20 in that video (and she was attending Harvard at the time, I think). And then at the end, the announcer says that Jad Fair is coming up next!
― ernestp, Thursday, 12 December 2019 02:09 (four years ago) link
yes thanks! I perked up at the proto-"Take Ecstasy" too
― insecurity bear (sic), Thursday, 12 December 2019 02:18 (four years ago) link
Wow.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 12 December 2019 02:49 (four years ago) link
https://pitchfork.com/news/the-magnetic-fields-announce-new-album-quickies-share-video-for-new-song-watch/
The Magnetic Fields have announced a new collection called Quickies. It features 28 new short songs by Stephin Merritt that are all under three minutes long. Quickies will be released across five vinyl EPs on May 15 via Nonesuch. Itāll also be available digitally and on a single CD. Watch the new video for āThe Day the Politicians Diedā below.
The band has also announced a series of intimate residency performances at City Winery venues across the country. Find those dates below.
Stephin Merritt is joined on Quickies by his bandmates Sam Davol, Claudia Gonson, Shirley Simms, and John Woo. Chris Ewen, Daniel Handler, and Pinky Weitzman also appear on the collection. Merritt discussed the albumās concept in a statement:
Iāve been reading a lot of very short fiction, and I enjoyed writing 101 Two-Letter Words, the poetry book about the shortest words you can use in Scrabble. And Iāve been listening to a lot of French baroque harpsichord music. Harpsichord doesnāt lend itself to languor. So Iāve been thinking about one instrument at a time, playing for about a minute or so and then stopping, and Iāve been thinking of narratives that are only a few lines long.
Also, I had been using a lot of small notebooks, so when I reach the bottom of the page, Iāve only gone a short way. Now that Iām working on a different album, Iām enforcing a large notebook rule so that I donāt do Quickies twice in a row.
Merrittās previous Magnetic Fields album was 2017ās 50 Song Memoir. Listen to Pitchforkās 2017 In Sight Out podcast with Stephin Merritt.
Quickies:
01 Castles of America02 The Biggest Tits in History03 The Day the Politicians Died04 Castle Down a Dirt Road05 Bathroom Quickie06 My Stupid Boyfriend07 Love Gone Wrong08 Favorite Bar09 Kill a Man a Week10 Kraftwerk in a Blackout11 When She Plays the Toy Piano12 Death Pact (Letās Make A)13 Iāve Got a Date with Jesus14 Come, Life, Shaker Life!15 (I Want to Join A) Biker Gang16 Rock ānā Roll Guy17 Youāve Got a Friend in Beelzebub18 Letās Get Drunk Again (And Get Divorced)19 The Best Cup of Coffee in Tennessee20 When the Brat Upstairs Got a Drum Kit21 The Price You Pay22 The Boy in the Corner23 Song of the Ant24 I Wish I Had Fangs and a Tail25 Evil Rhythm26 She Says Hello27 The Little Robot Girl28 I Wish I Were a Prostitute Again
― cajunsunday, Tuesday, 25 February 2020 17:57 (four years ago) link
How has Stephin Merritt not released an album titled "High Concept" yet?
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 25 February 2020 18:06 (four years ago) link
That list of song titles would be just as believable in a Sparks thread.
― Fantastic. Great move. Well done (sic), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 18:35 (four years ago) link
Even at 1:49, the new song feels too long.
― Murdered-Out Highlander XLE (morrisp), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 18:53 (four years ago) link
Some promising titles in there, but "The Day the Politicians Died" definitely doesn't live up to its.
― Maria Edgelord (cryptosicko), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 20:27 (four years ago) link
He probably could have just released a track list and skipped the music part.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 25 February 2020 20:31 (four years ago) link
Fido, your songs are too short.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 20:34 (four years ago) link
Some very provocative titles here, though
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 26 February 2020 00:41 (four years ago) link
worked for Bob Pollard
― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 26 February 2020 01:03 (four years ago) link
I want to join a biker gangI want to be in a gang bangI like my empty life but dangI want to join a biker gang
― ... (Eazy), Saturday, 18 April 2020 03:49 (four years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0eYO2cg9jA
― ... (Eazy), Saturday, 18 April 2020 14:34 (four years ago) link
LD Beghtol has passed:
Rest In Peace, LD Beghtol. Iām sorry we never finished our collaboration. pic.twitter.com/6zLbkAi6ZK— 50PoundNote (Jeb) (@50_pound_note) December 8, 2020
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 8 December 2020 04:13 (three years ago) link
Oh no :(
― wet tip hen ax (egg drop mix) (morrisp), Tuesday, 8 December 2020 04:18 (three years ago) link
Is there any other info (or context/confirmation) beyond this single tweet? I can't find anything.
― wet tip hen ax (egg drop mix) (morrisp), Tuesday, 8 December 2020 04:25 (three years ago) link
I know Jeb and trust him as the source -- LD was apparently found in his apartment but there's no other details. Apparently he did catch COVID in summer, hopefully this wasn't something related to that.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 8 December 2020 04:30 (three years ago) link
(That further info from Jeb directly.)
Thanks... how sad
― wet tip hen ax (egg drop mix) (morrisp), Tuesday, 8 December 2020 04:33 (three years ago) link
I will forever cherish "All My Little Words." Just too sad.
― TO BE A JAZZ SINGER YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCAT (Jazzbo), Tuesday, 8 December 2020 20:21 (three years ago) link
Ah crap. One of my favorite gigs of all-time was the two-day complete "69 Love Songs". It was such an incredibly joyful experience, Claudia was radiating happiness and fun.
Any of LD's other vocal work recommended?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 8 December 2020 21:24 (three years ago) link
You could check out Flare if you like 'twee chamber pop' of any descriptionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPLBPOIP1xI
― Lamont Dozier Dream House (Deflatormouse), Wednesday, 9 December 2020 02:41 (three years ago) link
His 33ā on 69 is good.
― huge rant (sic), Wednesday, 9 December 2020 04:13 (three years ago) link
listened to "all my little words" for the first time in forever when i saw this news. i think there's still no one i would trust more to do a perfect 2 and a half minutes.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 9 December 2020 04:25 (three years ago) link
really sad about this, it's hard to process. his voice & presence on those songs (thinking of "My Sentimental Melody" too) meant so much, more than I ever consciously realized.
― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Wednesday, 9 December 2020 04:55 (three years ago) link
"All My Little Words" is so simple but so perfect. RIP
― it bangs for thee (Simon H.), Wednesday, 9 December 2020 05:10 (three years ago) link