Insound Staff Pick - 2008! Three CDs of some of the best songwriting you've ever heard, and every kind of love song you can imagine -- except those in the Celine Dion vein.

3xCD $33.99

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The Magnetic Fields' first two albums, available on one CD, differ from the band's later work in that it is not songwriter Stephin Merritt who is singing his tales of wounded hope, starry-eyed romance, and quiet desperation. 1990's less-is-more DISTANT PLASTIC TREES is directly indebted to early-'80s minimalist-pop geniuses the Young Marble Giants, especially on the hypnotic "You Love To Fail" and the tremendously affecting "100,000 Fireflies," perhaps Merritt's most heartbreakingly beautiful song. By compa   [ read more ]

CD $10.99

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The long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed 1999 release, "69 Love Songs," "i" finds singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt in full possession of his acerbic wit. Featuring lyrics ripe with melancholy and bittersweet imagery, the record's 14 tracks are possibly the most personal Merritt has created to date -- a departure from the many voices on "69 Love Songs." Produced by Stephen Merritt, "i" features the Magnetic Fields' magical four-piece lineup: Merritt on vocals and assorted instruments, including ukulele;    [ read more ]

CD $13.99

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Insound Staff Pick - 2008! Stephin Merritt has said that his aim in making the new record was "to sound more like Jesus and Mary Chain than Jesus and Mary Chain." Beneath the racket, though, not that much has changed in The Magnetic Fields modus operandi ... Again, Merritt's meticulous orchestration of his sonics is what really impresses. A sense of how random sound can be organized into something so attractive that you barely notice the cacophony from which it is constructed. It's a pretty record ..   [ read more ]

CD $16.99

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VINYL FORMAT. The Magnetic Fields' classic 1994 full-length contains thirteen songs from the worst year of Stephin Merrit's life. One of the best selling records in the Merge catalog, remastered and re-sequenced by Merritt himself. 180 gram vinyl. Includes coupon for MP3 download of entire album in its new sequence.

LP $17.99

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VINYL FORMAT. Originally released in 1994, this was The Magnetic Fields' Merge debut and fourth full-length. Presented here on HQ 180-gram vinyl with beautiful artwork and full art euro-sleeve insert, this marks the classic record's first appearance in LP format. Ten gothic country-pop road songs; kind of like if Yaz were from Oklahoma. It continues to be one of the band's most popular records and is one of the best selling releases in the Merge catalog. Includes a coupon for an MP3 download of the entire r   [ read more ]

LP $17.99

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VINYL FORMAT. Insound Staff Pick - 2008! Stephin Merritt has said that his aim in making the new record was "to sound more like Jesus and Mary Chain than Jesus and Mary Chain." Beneath the racket, though, not that much has changed in The Magnetic Fields modus operandi ... Again, Merritt's meticulous orchestration of his sonics is what really impresses. A sense of how random sound can be organized into something so attractive that you barely notice the cacophony from which it is constructed. It's a pr   [ read more ]

LP $17.99

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This is a 12" x 18" Magnetic Fields show poster for the March 5 and 6, 2008 shows with Intersteller Radio Company In Los Angeles. Designed by: El Jefe Design.

Poster $19.99

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Stephin Merritt has claimed that each of the first four Magnetic Fields albums has a specific and unique musical style. It is telling that Holiday shares its name with Madonna's first major hit single, because the musical style on display here is early-'80s-style synth-dance-pop. Of course, in 1994, at the pinnacle of the post-grunge "alternative" era, few musics could have been more resolutely unfashionable. There's no doubt that the ever-contrary Merritt had this in mind all along. In keeping with    [ read more ]

CD $12.99

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After four full albums and a handful of EPs and singles recorded mostly (if not entirely) by himself, Stephin Merritt introduces a full band on Get Lost. He surrounds his own keyboards and guitar with real drums and percussion, cello, viola, banjo, bass, and ukulele. The results are spectacular. The exquisite arrangements breath new life into Merritt's usual themes of failed romance and world-weary bitterness "When You're Old and Lonely" sounds thematically of a piece with "The Desperate Things You M   [ read more ]

CD $12.99

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Although this CD was released in 1996, these songs were previously available on singles in 1989 and 1993. As such, the brief EP lacks the conceptual or thematic unity of the Magnetic Fields' full-length albums. Taken by themselves, however, the songs rank among Stephin Merritt's best, particularly the dazzling, kaleidoscopic "Love Goes Home To Paris in the Spring" and the gently despairing "Either You Don't Love Me Or I Don't Love You." Of the remaining three tracks, the mournful "Alien Being" is a low-key    [ read more ]

CDep $10.99

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Stephin Merritt claims that the first four full albums by his band, the Magnetic Fields, each have a specific and unique musical style. As such, The Charm Of The Highway Strip may be the first synth-country album. Marrying the Fields' usual electronic arsenal to original songs written in the traditional Hank, Faron, Lefty, and Patsy C&W fashion works better than one might initially imagine. Merritt's wounded-romantic lyrical persona is not really that dissimilar from that of, say, George Jones or Por   [ read more ]

CD $12.99

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