The Magnetic Fields: Realism

There's always something suspect about high-concept, long-projection pop music projects. When Sufjan Stevens announced that he would record an album for each of the fifty US states, starting with Michigan and followed by Illinois, it was pretty much just fodder for critical naysaying. In that case, the naysayers were right. Stevens eventually admitted that the 50 states project was little more than a promotional scheme. So, it's more than a little unusual when Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields regularly deliver on their high-concept promises. 69 Love Songs was indeed a massive, three-disc collection of 69 entirely new songs about love and this week the band released the second album in their planned "no synth trilogy". Like Distortion before it, Realism eschews the lovably cheesy synthesizers that helped make the band famous. The result is 13 fun, beautiful and incredibly catchy songs.

Realism opens with "You Must Be Out of Your Mind", an indicator of what lies ahead as well as a fine introduction to The Fields for any newcomers. Its sound is pretty and conventional but its lyrics are clever, conversational and frequently funny. It's clear from the get-go that no one here is trying to be revolutionary. Like so much of Merritt's writing, this track is content on being an essentially perfectly structured song.

The album is dotted with gorgeous, theatrical tunes that wouldn't be out of place in the more sullen moments of a Broadway musical. "Interlude" and "I Don't Know What to Say" are definitely of the more stagy variety and in a more just world the latter would be the #1 slow dance song of 2010. The frequency of these kinds of songs on Realism keep it from really being energetic. While The Fields have proven their ability to be exciting, on this album they mostly stay close to the kinds of songs that suggest a sunny afternoon in a hammock.

This is not to say that Realism is boring. In between the prettiness the album indulges in some downright goofy tracks. "We Are Having a Hootenanny" is a none-too-ironic ho-down song and "The Dolls' Tea Party" is, well, a song about a tea party punctuated by the plink of music box tones and jingle bells. The Fields are having fun. How much you enjoy these shameless excursions depends entirely on whether or not you get the joke.

The highlight of Realism is "Walk a Lonely Road". Surreal, sad and ultimately touching in its melancholy, the song incorporates the best elements of Merritt's side project The Dark Archies into the classical beauty of The Magnetic Fields. Claudia Gonson's vocals side-by-side with Merritt's weary bass make for a unique and gorgeous centerpiece.

At this point, The Magnetic Fields know who their fans are and what they like. If you didn't like The Fields before Realism the album certainly won't change your mind. But if you've appreciated Stephin Merritt's timeless approach to pop for the past twenty years, Realism is an essential album for 2010.