"Three-Way," the opening song on Distortion, introduces, in a deceptively exuberant blast of pop noise, the themes and obsessions of Magnetic Fields' eighth album. The lyrics simply consist of gleefully repeated exclamations, by male and female voices, of the song title. While "Three-Way" may summon images of Twister-like physical exertions in a situation where three is not a crowd, the subsequent material describes scenarios in which desire itself is twisted into dark, alluring shapes and love remains tantalizingly unrequited. Using a modest number of instruments, composer and producer Stephin Merritt creates a veritable wall of sound. He employs no synthesizers; instead, he generates waves of feedback that envelop every track like a spiky black gift-wrapping.
"I wanted to make a record of three-minute pop songs, then they turned into three-minute power-pop songs," Merritt explains. "The previous Magnetic Fields record had been self-consciously soft rock, with all the songs starting with the letter 'i.' The idea here was to make this record quickly and use the same instrumentation on every song. And if I had to use the same instrumentation all the time, what would I want it to sound like? Well, like the first Jesus and Mary Chain album! So I attempted to adapt the sound of Psychocandy to the orch-pop reality of the Magnetic Fields, where we have a pianist and a cellist. And the occasional accordionist."
Hey!!, come sit down Under the willow tree Rest on this low mound Let the time pass with me.
So here we all are again Back down by the railroud track Don't feel so long since we were here before Same old tents and little more.
More,more each dawn Nowhere to go and hide Nothing to sell or pawn Victims of broken dreams.
Now you gotta learn From what you seen Never were no saints In the American Dream Work all day To make ends meet Then one day Out on the street Can't pay the bills Can't afford the rent End up here In a government tent
Here comes Godot Here comes Godot Here comes Godot Here comes Godot! Help, Help, Help, Help, Help, Help, Help, Help!
You like beer right? You might get a kick out of this Ozzy skit. Here's the new film Gabby Skab and I made last night for upcoming Pabst sales convention. The Skabs "PBR Me Right Now". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGPLSnltauk
Thank you for having a great taste in music. Adding us will become a delight in your following of our band's future journey into sound and soul exploration. Peace and Love.
Cheers! Listen out for our debut ep which is in the making now. Next gig is Friday 25th September at Babalou in Brixton (the crypt under St Matthews Church) Keep on trimming!
