Distortion represents an unexpected but certainly welcome turn in Stephin Merritt's prolific career. As the title suggests, its songs are reverbed and warped to within an inch of their lives. It could be said that Distortion is Merritt's triumphant foray into shoegaze, but any resemblance to My Bloody Valentine or Ride is merely superficial. At the heart of it all is the archetypal Magnetic Fields pop song: self-effacing, witty, emotionally engaging and above all, inexorably catchy. On first listen, Distortion might be somewhat off-putting to longtime fans like myself, but it grows on you. I couldn't stand "California Girls" the first time I heard it, but I found myself unconsciously humming it later that day. The second time I listened to it, it induced rapture. The rest of the album has similarly hooked me. Distortion is at least a tenfold improvement over Merritt's previous Magnetic Fields outing, the lackluster and self-indulgent i.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Magnetic Fields: Distortion
Distortion represents an unexpected but certainly welcome turn in Stephin Merritt's prolific career. As the title suggests, its songs are reverbed and warped to within an inch of their lives. It could be said that Distortion is Merritt's triumphant foray into shoegaze, but any resemblance to My Bloody Valentine or Ride is merely superficial. At the heart of it all is the archetypal Magnetic Fields pop song: self-effacing, witty, emotionally engaging and above all, inexorably catchy. On first listen, Distortion might be somewhat off-putting to longtime fans like myself, but it grows on you. I couldn't stand "California Girls" the first time I heard it, but I found myself unconsciously humming it later that day. The second time I listened to it, it induced rapture. The rest of the album has similarly hooked me. Distortion is at least a tenfold improvement over Merritt's previous Magnetic Fields outing, the lackluster and self-indulgent i.
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