Product Description
Magnetic Fields' third Nonesuch disc, Realism, is the flipside to the industrial pop of Distortion, the quartet's brilliant 2008 homage to, of all things, the clangorous sound of the Jesus and Mary Chain. While Distortion was recorded quickly and noisily in the stairwells and rooms of the New York City apartment building to which singer-songwriter-bandleader Stephen Merritt was about to bid adieu for California, Realism was cut in the distortion-free environs of a Los Angeles studio, and its sound is as pristine as a plein-air painting. There are no drum kits to be heard, and the fascinatingly varied instrumentation - guitars, accordions, violins, cellos, tablas, banjos, tuba, even a smattering of mellifluous falling leaves - did not need to be plugged in. And, as with Distortion, the album credits emphasize: No Synths.

With tongue only slightly in cheek, Merritt has taken to declaring Realism his "folk" album. To get the point across, there is an upbeat, sing-along number early in the set called "We Are Having a Hootenany." Merritt's inspirations, however, were the orchestrated, mostly British folk of the late sixties/early seventies--which owe as much to sixties psychedelia as to traditional music--and the work of Judy Collins, who stretched the boundaries of "folk" with the chamber-pop arrangements of such albums as In My Life and Wildflowers.

Like Collins, Merritt favors variety and theatricality. She skipped from Jacques Brel to the Beatles; he goes from the trippy, toy-box melodies of "The Dolls' Tea Party" and "Painted Flower" to the foot-stomping rhythms of "The Dada Polka" (for which one only has to get up and "do something"). There's even a deceptively festive holiday number, "Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree," featuring a lusty chorus sung in German -- Kurt Weill in a holiday mood. In content, Merritt's songs veer between longing and loneliness, desire and dismissal, romance and revenge. Reality is as distorted as ever, and the characters who populate his songs are never just plain folk. As Jon Pareles of the New York Times put it in a review of Magnetic Fields' 2008 Town Hall concert, Merritt's songs are "elegantly phrased, understatedly sardonic tales of disillusionment. The loftier the dreams, the greater the letdown, an insight he plays for both chuckles and heartache."

Along with his long-time band-mates Sam Davol, Claudia Gonson and John Woo, Merritt is joined again by vocalist Shirley Simms, (whose plaintive tone on Distortion lent poignancy to the murderous fantasy of "California Girls" and the erotic musings in "The Nun's Litany") and accordionist Daniel Handler (a/k/a novelist Lemony Snicket, with whom Merritt created the Gothic Archies' faux children's disc, The Tragic Treasury). Also on board: horn player Johnny Blood and violinist Ida Pearle, familiar to fans of Magnetic Fields' earlier, independently released work.

01 You Must Be Out Of Your Mind
02 Interlude
03 We Are Having A Hootenanny
04 I Dont Know What To Say
05 The Dolls Tea Party
06 Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree
07 Walk A Lonely Road
08 Always Already Gone
09 Seduced And Abandoned
10 Better Things
11 Painted Flower
12 The Dada Polka
13 From A Sinking Boat

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XZ62AW/?tag=imwan-20

Pitchfork posted cover artwork, which is a nice companion to Distortion.

Magnetic Fields get 'Realism' on road



Published November 19, 2009 07:11 AM
By Tjames Madison / LiveDaily Contributor
http://www.livedaily.com/news/magnetic- ... 20759.html

Indie-pop veterans The Magnetic Fields have mapped a mid-winter headlining tour in support of the group's forthcoming studio album, "Realism."

The tour kicks off Feb. 4 in Washington, DC, and will hit 15 cities, with multi-night performances in a handful of locations, including Boston (2/10-11); Portland, OR (2/21-22); Seattle (2/23-24) and New York City (3/10-11). Details are included below.

A limited number of pre-sale tickets are available for the shows. Consult the band's website for more information.

"Realism," Magnetic Fields' ninth studio album, is due in stores Jan. 26. The new set was intended as a companion piece to last year's "Distortion," according to the band's figurehead, Stephin Merrit.

"I thought of the two records as a pair, and I initially wanted them to be called 'True' and 'False,'" Merritt said in a press release. "But I couldn't decide which I wanted to be called 'True' and which I wanted to be called 'False.'

"They both have to do with the notions of truth and falsehood in recording and music--not particularly with the lyrics but with the production style."

The group--whose lineup currently includes percussionist/pianist Claudia Gonson, cellist Sam Davol and guitarist/banjo player John Woo, in addition to singer/multi-instrumentalist Merritt--debuted with 1991's "Distant Plastic Trees."

TOUR DATES

February 2010
4 - Washington, DC - Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University
6 - Montreal, Quebec - Corona Theatre
8 - Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10, 11 - Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre
13 - Brooklyn, NY - Gilman Opera House @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
21, 22 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
23, 24 - Seattle, WA - Town Hall Seattle
27 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater

March 2010
1 - San Francisco, CA - Herbst Theatre
2 - Los Angeles, CA - Wilshire Ebell Theatre
4 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
5 - Bloomington, IN - Buskirk Chumley Theatre
6 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
7 - Chicago, IL - Harris Theater
10, 11 - New York, NY - Town Hall

I didn't care for Distortion much, but the songs were perfect when played live without all the Jesus and Mary Chain-isms.
Got my ticket for the Los Angeles show.

Once again, they skip Philly.

Taking a second listen-through. The melodies aren't grabbing me. Eccentric, for sure, but a little too 'precious'?

Waaaay too precious on many of them, if ya ask me.

I'm not crazy about the album, but I didn't care for Distortion much but loved the songs live.
Hope this is the case with the new songs when I see them tomorrow.

I'm seein' 'em on Thursday!

How were the shows?

I really enjoyed it. It was a five-piece band: ukulele, acoustic guitar, keyboard, cello and autoharp. Too many songs from the new album for my tastes, but they still did a good selection of past stuff, including material from Merritt's other "bands."

Their stage presence is more or less non-existent -- they all sit in chairs and use sheet music -- but they certainly sounded great: crystal clear arrangement and acoustics. Like watching a classical chamber group.

My review of the show would be similar to Ocean Doot. I was happy to hear a few songs from The 6ths, but would have preferred more from 69 Love Songs. But hey, that was a few years ago and I have already heard most of them live.

Although their stage presence is more or less non-existent, I love the stage banter between Stephin and Claudia. I always get a good laugh or two out of their between song conversations.

The sound in LA was REALLY quiet. I know Stephin has hearing problems, and he looked in pain at the end when he shoved his finger in his ear when we were applauding. But this was the quietest I've heard them play. We were close, but our friends near the back had serious issues with the sound. However, it was mixed well and I could hear every instrument and voice.

That's true. It seems really awkward at times, almost as if Stephin doesn't like Claudia much (or thinks she's an idiot), but that was what made it amusing.

It's always been like that. I think that's just Stephin's prickly personality shining through.

I hadn't seen Shirley Simms sing with them on the last couple of tours. That was a nice touch.

And I just want to pay tribute to my close friend and music buddy Paul Serchia http://pospedpaul.blogspot.com/
He died of cancer Monday March 1, and he was the one who turned me on to Magnetic Fields. We have attended hundreds of concerts together, and this was the last one we had tickets to attend together. RIP my rock and roll compadre.

Condolences. Sorry to hear that, man.