Magnetic Fields brings 'Distortion'
John Larsen
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Entertainment
Distortion, the latest album from New York lo-fi indie legends the Magnetic Fields, is Stephen Merritt and his band showing off their best attribute: the ability to evolve and experiment with each new album.
So many bands have the same formulas, which they use again and again, but the Magnetic Fields seem incapable of such bland repetition.
With Distortion, they prove once again that making music is an art, not a science, and should be treated as such.
Their two previous albums are concept albums: 69 Love Songs is a collection of 69 love songs, and the album i is a smaller set of songs all beginning with the letter "I" but which also focus mainly on one person: the self.
Distortion follows this theme of conceptual songs, but in a new way. Instead of guiding the songs' lyrics, the album's concept guides their sound: the album is full of distorting effects that embraces the songs like a cocoon of white noise and static.
But don't let this turn you off from the album; the distortion on Distortion doesn't take away from the beauty of Merritt and company's music.
It instead enhances it, in the same way that strange sound effects and sampled melodies come together to create some of the best hip-hop and electronica songs - which, I might remind you, often involve a heavy dose of distortion.
One other notable release this month is Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut album. This indie pop quartet also hails from New York and is poised to take the musical world by storm with their light-hearted yet poignant songs that ooze creativity, making them almost immediately likeable.
The four members of Vampire Weekend met while attending Columbia University, and their Ivy League smarts shine throughout their songs.
Their melodies, influenced both by classical compositions as well as popular Caribbean and African sounds, are beautiful and charming, while at the same time perfectly bouncy and full of life.
In short, Vampire Weekend is the ultimate blend of craft and creativity, open to appreciation by music students and casual fans alike.
Both Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut and the Magnetic Fields' latest slice of brilliance, Distortion, are out now and come highly recommended.
So many bands have the same formulas, which they use again and again, but the Magnetic Fields seem incapable of such bland repetition.
With Distortion, they prove once again that making music is an art, not a science, and should be treated as such.
Their two previous albums are concept albums: 69 Love Songs is a collection of 69 love songs, and the album i is a smaller set of songs all beginning with the letter "I" but which also focus mainly on one person: the self.
Distortion follows this theme of conceptual songs, but in a new way. Instead of guiding the songs' lyrics, the album's concept guides their sound: the album is full of distorting effects that embraces the songs like a cocoon of white noise and static.
But don't let this turn you off from the album; the distortion on Distortion doesn't take away from the beauty of Merritt and company's music.
It instead enhances it, in the same way that strange sound effects and sampled melodies come together to create some of the best hip-hop and electronica songs - which, I might remind you, often involve a heavy dose of distortion.
One other notable release this month is Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut album. This indie pop quartet also hails from New York and is poised to take the musical world by storm with their light-hearted yet poignant songs that ooze creativity, making them almost immediately likeable.
The four members of Vampire Weekend met while attending Columbia University, and their Ivy League smarts shine throughout their songs.
Their melodies, influenced both by classical compositions as well as popular Caribbean and African sounds, are beautiful and charming, while at the same time perfectly bouncy and full of life.
In short, Vampire Weekend is the ultimate blend of craft and creativity, open to appreciation by music students and casual fans alike.
Both Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut and the Magnetic Fields' latest slice of brilliance, Distortion, are out now and come highly recommended.
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