Merritt's Masterpiece (69 Love Songs - Magnetic Fields)

Member Name: Attacksushi

Product:	69 Love Songs - Magnetic Fields
Date:	14/04/04 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a work of genius, something for everyone

Disadvantages: er...

Ask twenty Magnetic Fields fans to name their favourite track on 69 Love Songs and you'd probably get twenty different answers. That's if you can find twenty fans in the first place. I haven't encountered any other Stephin Merritt obsessives, and I've been looking since 2000. In fact, before I bought this album, I used to think that Merritt (who pretty much IS the band - and Future Bible Heroes, and The Gothic Archies, and The Sixths, for that matter) was just one of those weird conceptual musicians that broadsheet newspapers mentioned in their arts sections when they wanted to up the obscurity ante.

But my God did this album change that opinion! Okay, so it's a grower. You're not going to turn on 69 Love Songs and become a Merritt convert within minutes. It took me several plays to really appreciate it - but I'm glad that I gave it a chance, because this album is, quite frankly, a masterpiece.

69 Love Songs does exactly what it says on the tin. There are sixty-nine songs. They're all about love. In the hands of just about every other songwriter in the world, this could have been a disaster. But Stephin Merritt is a genius. How can I describe him to someone who hasn't heard him? I've heard him compared to Morrissey, but I don't really see it. Merritt stands alone. Here, he has seemingly effortlessly created an awe-inspiring work of art. You'll find all sorts of music styles: there's tongue-in-cheek country ('Papa Was a Rodeo'), odd, experimental snippets ('Punk Love', 'Experimental Music Love'), jazz ('Love is Like Jazz'), and even something resembling world music ('World Love'), as well as plenty of that tra
demark Merritt electropop. But what stands out here is that every track works. Listened to as a whole, it's breathtaking.

Fans of Merritt will recognise his rich, deep voice on a number of tracks. In addition to him, there are contributions
from Future Bible Heroes vocalist Claudia Gonson, Dudley Klute, Shirley Simms and LD Beghtol. This means that the listener doesn't get bored of just one voice - can you imagine hearing one person drone on for sixty-nine songs?

It's the lyrics that make this a truly wonderful piece of work, though. Merritt slips from tongue-in-cheek humour to heartfelt emotion, often within the space of a single track. The songs here are hugely quotable: 'I'm for free love, and I'm in free fall/This could be love or nothing at all', 'I always say I love you/when I mean turn out the light', 'No rose conveyed your sentiments/not even a petunia/but you've got vague presentiments/and I've got little Junior'. And then there's 'Love is Like a Bottle of Gin', which is one of Merritt's cleverest songs - just listen to it!

The subject matter, too, is astonishing. Pretty much everything about love is covered here. Lusting after a girl who uses every guy in town? Try 'The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side'. One-night stand? 'The Night You Can't Remember'. Lots and lots of, well, domestic-animal-themed sex? 'Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits'.

As for my personal highlights - well, if absolutely pressed, I'd have to say that 'Busby Berkeley Dreams', '(Crazy for You But) Not That Crazy', 'I Think I N
;eed a New Heart', 'Long-Forgotten Fairytale', 'I Don't Want to Get Over You'...I'll stop the list there, before I end up writing out the entire tracklisting.

In conclusion? Buy this. Listen to it. Even if you don't love it at first, you will do eventually. And when you do, and you're wanting more, just think: originally, this was a 100-song project...

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