by Chris La Putt

DOWNLOAD: Laura Barrett - Bluebird (MP3)

Last night (3/10) marked the first of the Magnetic Fields' 3-night run at Town Hall (they also played a show at BAM earlier in the tour) in New York City with over two dozen songs spanning the band's 20-year discography. It also marked the release of the band's ninth album, Realism, ending Stephin Merrit's "no-synth" rule (reportedly, the upcoming album will be composed completely with synthesizers). The concert, like the new album, marked a direction towards a subdued (many critics calling it "folksy") sound to the Fields' repretoire; the antithesis of the band's 2008 album, Distortion, which was madeup entirely of guitar fuzz and feedback. Stephin serenely drolled on throughout the set, occasionally switching lead vocals with Claudia Gonson and Shirley Timms. During the set, Claudia announced that they'll be releasing 20 tickets for sale today, for tonight's show (I'm willing to bet there'll be some on Friday as well). Just get to the Town Hall box office before the show.

After this 3-day stint in NYC the band is off to Europe but you can can continue to see what's going on behind the scenes, and at the merch table, at their tour blog. Here's hoping that their NYC blog posts won't be all about Paul Rudd stopping by to see the show.

On April 20th, Merge Records will also be releasing the band's much celebrated 3-disc anthology, 69 Love Songs, on vinyl for the first time. Incidentally, the highlight of the show for me was finally hearing Wi' Nae Wee Bairn Ye'll Me Beget live.

What else is there for Stephin Merritt aside from composing music and lyrics to an off-broadway play and then having Peter Gabriel cover one of your songs? Well a documentary on Stephin and the band will be making its world premiere at SXSW next week entitled Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields. Take a look at the trailer below.

Laura Barrett opened for the band. More pictures and setlist below:

Continue reading "The Magnetic Fields played 1st of 3 shows @ Town Hall (pics & setlist), documentary premiering at SXSW (trailer)"

Magnetic Fields @ Loews Theater, Jersey City in Oct. 2008 (more by Chris La Putt)

"We did soft rock on I, hard rock on Distortion, and folk à la Judy Collins on Realism," [Stephin Merritt] says. "They were conceived as a trio, but particularly with Distortion and Realism, I thought of them as a pair." The titles he had in mind at first were "True" and "False," which got set aside when he couldn't figure which label applied to which album. Of course, that creative cul de sac is itself vintage Merritt.

"I asked myself, 'Would it be too simple to say that Distortion is false, and that Realism is true? Or would it be too annoying to say the reverse?' So I scratched that," he says, pausing at length. "And now it is what it is." [National Post]

The Magnetic Fields will be touring in support of their new record, Realism, which is out today (1/26). Toward the beginning of the trip, on Saturday, February 13th, they'll be playing at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House, a show that's sold out or close to it (BAM directs you to their box office phone, 718.636.4100, for inquiries).

The tour returns to NYC in March, and they've expanded their run at NYC's Town Hall to three nights. The added show will be on Friday, March 12th. Tickets for the first show are still on sale (but not the second). The third goes on AmEx presale Wednesday, January 27th at 11am. General sale starts Friday, January 29th at noon.

Openers, who each focus on eclectic folk sounds, have also been announced: Canadian singer/kalimba player Laura Barrett plays March 10th, Australian songwriter Darren Hanlon opens March 11th, and Brooklyn electronic-instrument craftsmen Dewanatron play the final date.

All tour dates (including Magnetic Fields' European leg), a new Realism video, and clips of Dewanatron (half of which opened for Music Tapes last March) are below...

Continue reading "Magnetic Fields add 4th NYC show & openers - updated dates"