Album Review: The Magnetic Fields - Love at the Bottom of the Sea

Posted by: Matt Moskal  •  April 4, 2012 @ 8:00pm

Filed under: Reviews

The Magnetic Fields' most ambitious undertakings could well be behind them. However, frontman Stephin Merritt's priorities are eccentric in their own right. Before 2010's folk-inspired album, Realism, Merritt claimed he had no desire to create big statements or epics. However, this assertion came on the heels of surrendering his synthesizers for a decade. This phase followed 69 Love Songs, a triple-disc masterpiece that put Magnetic Fields on the map. It feels like Merritt has spent the majority of his twenty-first century making things unnecessarily challenging. But after a decade of self-denial, his tenth album may be his first to be framed as forthright.

Love at the Bottom of the Sea is at best an update to the Boston band's signature sound. None of the 15 songs exceed the three-minute mark. Synthesizers soak through precise pop compositions in an organic/robotic balance. And the lyric book is laced with silliness and satire. In some instances, this is exactly how you want The Magnetic Fields to sound.

"Andrew in Drag" is as good as the formula gets. It's a clever and cute cut-up of forbidden love. "I'll never see that girl again, he did it as a gag," sings Merritt. "I'll pine away forevermore for Andrew in drag." On the surface, it's a focused four-chord progression over the bouncy click of a drum machine. Coupled with a layer of bubbly ascending synthesizer fills, Merritt's deep grumble makes this melody irresistibly catchy. Everything that makes The Magnetic Fields great is oozing out of this track. It could easily be shuffled into the ranks of their best material.

On "Your Girlfriend's Face", a bratty Shirley Simms sneers over a symphony of scenic synthesizers. The concept is simple: she wants revenge. "So I've taken a contract out of on y'all for making me feel infinitely small," Simms sings. "In the evenings I'll devise your death, being buried alive by crystal meth." It's a prime example of what works best about Love at the Bottom of the Sea. Even if a pun runs thin, a track never lingers long enough to wear out its welcome.

Synth-pop party song "Infatuation (With Your Gyration)" feels more like a style-parody than an anthem. The chorus carries out like a group of mature adults trying to sing top 40 lyrics at a dinner party. Fortunately, before you can say, "I'm not sure how I feel about this," it's over. The same goes for "My Husband's Pied-a-Terre", which only lasts long enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Two minutes later, sensational stand-out "Quick!" is clicking, beeping and chiming any bad memories away.

It's easy to say Love at the Bottom of the Sea is not The Magnetic Fields' best album. That right was reserved last century. But this LP carries irrefutable evidence of what works best about the band. No matter how extravagant it gets, it can still laugh at itself.

Tags: The Magnetic Fields, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, Stephin Merritt, Andrew in Drag, Synth-Pop, Indie-Pop, Merge, Shirley Simms, John Woo, Claudia Gonson

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