AR: i

The Magnetic Fields - i (2004)

1999's 69 Love Songs (if you're not familiar, a classic *triple* album with 23 genre-varied pop ditties each) was the indie pop equivalent of a for-the-fences swing; The Magnetic Fields drilled it into the upper deck - I'll write that review at another time - but the inevitable question would be, "Hey, what now?" After some side projects and various meanderings, the 2004 answer seems to be "fourteen more love songs." I.e., all concept-album pretensions aside, the tunes on i do not represent much of a change in style and could have easily fit amongst the gargantuan forest that was their masterpiece. i does have a particular sound - TMF's penchant for synthesizers have largely been dropped for a consistent acoustics, strings (cello), banjo, drum (machine?), piano, and sometimes harpsichord setup, so the album does have less of that kitchen-sink feel. Steve Merritt, the lead singer and face of TMF, is also again precisely in his element, delivering self-deprecating, witty love songs drenched in indie kid emoting AKA Duke Jansen music :). While the disc will not blow anyone away like its predecessor, it's a satisfying top-to-bottom effort with plenty of smile-able moments.

There's a hint, as alluded, of the grandiose concept here, but it really doesn't stick. All of the album's fourteen tracks start with the letter 'i,'* a seemingly insistent claim that the songs are somehow exceptionally first-person-obsessed, but this isn't really true (nor would it be remarkable if it were, given that "I" and "pop" have quite a long-standing relationship). The tunes on the album also run in alphabetical order, which smacks more of laziness than intrigue to me. The flow is fine in that state, but unless there was some rather prescient synergy going down in the writing of the songs, I highly doubt it was intentional; it probably more speaks to the fact that Merritt's songs intertwine well independent of their order.

* - not the pronoun "I" as some reviews claim - true, side a all starts with "I," but the back half includes "Infinitely..." and while I may contain multitudes, there is a cap on them.

The songs-as-individuals walk a good line on this disc - a number are engaging tunes that just don't have quite enough catch to them, so a lot of them grab two star "not on a mix" ratings even though they're quality stuff. There are standouts, though - the super-typical "I Don't Believe You" is an uptempo strummer accented by bubbling banjo that I would probably offer as a "typical" great TMF song. A typical line: "I had a dream and you were in it / The blue of your eyes was infinite / You seemed to be / In love with me / Which isn't very realistic." Like I said: self-deprecating. "It's Only Time" is an aching ballad that closes the disc, and "Infinitely Late at Night" is an offbeat dark poetry track. The latter contains the deliciously funny, Morrissey-esque line that "It's all black and white ... without the white." The most talked about track on the disc, and the one that actually does have a touch of synth, is "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend." It's a pulsing melancholy, angry-at-rejection classic, and sounds a whole lot like some left over genius of borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered '80s.

So, a few highlights, and otherwise 41 minutes of Merritt's syrupy baritone and quips. Worth your time - be forewarned that it's got that typical indie-kid romantic wine to it, but at least part of TMF's power has been to pull this attitude off as simultaneously endearing and self-mockingly funny. They did it again here, and have produced another good collection of tunes.

Status: Recommended (solid)
Nyet's Fave: "Infinitely Late at Night"