Realism

You think I'll run, not walk, to you

Why would I want to talk to you?

I want you crawling back to me

Down on your knees, yeah

Like an appendectomy

Sans anaesthesia.

Last night, at midnight, I rushed to my computer, logged in to iTunes, and purchased the new Magnetic Fields record, entitled "Realism."  I am a huge Magnetic Fields fan, and have been since around 2001 or 2002.  My sister was a fan to start with, and I heard a few of their songs that she had downloaded, namely "Take Ecstasy With Me", but I gave them very little thought.  However, I soon discovered that one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, was a very big fan of theirs as well (he thanked Stephin Merritt in the acknowledgments section of "American Gods".)  Seeing as how my life-long dream is to somehow transmogrify into Neil Gaiman, I decided to give The Magnetic Fields a second chance.

I haven't looked back since.  For my money, Stephin Merritt (front man and songwriter for the band) is one of the finest songwriters and lyricists on the planet today.  His songs are beautiful, ironic, heart-breaking, and joyous, usually all at once.  The melodies take unexpected turns, and there is usually a hidden level of malice in the lyrics (just listen to "California Girls" for an example of this).  He's also mastered the art of storytelling through song. 

His songs are highly identifiable too.  I don't think there's one song of his I haven't identified with in some way.  Well... maybe "Zombie Boy".

I've been really anticipating this new release from them because I'm going to see them in concert in just under two weeks.  They are coming to Toronto and will be playing at the Queen Elizabeth Theater.  I've never seen them play live, so I'm very excited about that. 

Anyway, back to "Realism" (released by Nonesuch Records).  This record seems to be a bit like their 2004 release "I", in that it is heavily focused on acoustic recordings with a folk flavour.  Though it is also quite dissimilar to "I".  Whereas "I" had a consistent melancholy streak in it (the first song on it is "I Die"), "Realism", at least on the first few listens, seems more flirtatious and free.  Though of course, this flirtatiousness often plunges sadly and suddenly into dark pits of despair.  You should always anticipate this in a Magnetic Fields song.  Even up until the last line.

Songs like "We are Having a Hootenanny", "The Dolls' Tea Party", and "Everything is One Big Christmas Tree" exemplify this free-spirited attitude.  For example, on "Everything is One Big Christmas Tree", for no discernible reason Stephin starts singing the second half of the song in German, and with as big and over the top a voice as if he were suddenly performing in a Bavarian beer hall.  It makes the song just as playful and silly as its title.

But perhaps the best way to describe the record is that it is a marked contrast to the band's previous release "Distortion".  "Distortion" was an album where every melody, every emotion, was crushed ruthlessly under heavy, mind-swimming, headache-inducing feedback.  It was a very difficult record, and certainly the band's greatest experiment (and one I've found to be very rewarding after multiple listens). 

"Realism", on the other hand, is an entirely acoustic record.  The liner notes proudly proclaim NO SYNTHS (though Claudia Gonson is credited with playing "leaves").  The melodies are given free reign to grow and stand up on their own.  Thus we are given a musical experience free of artifice and confusion.

Or are we?

The title, after all, is "Realism", not "Reality".  And Realism is just as much a lie as anything that is distorted; only it doesn't have the courtesy to tell you it's a lie.  

I'm looking forward to listening to "Distortion" and "Realism" back to back, as I think there will be unexpected results.  The two records are certainly intended to be linked together as companion pieces.  Stephin Merritt has said this publically, and the album artwork for both records shares the same design concept: bathroom door symbols ("Distortion" has the man, while "Realism" has the woman). 

I won't pretend that I understand what the point of it all is: what these records are meant to be saying.  Maybe they aren't saying anything.  Art never needs to have a point to it.  In fact, art is often stronger when there is no point.  That way the art can be appreciated for the thing itself, and not just be seen as some kind of vehicle to pass on a veiled meaning or message.

I will spend more time with the record over the next few months and years.  I'm interested to see how my attitude towards it changes as I become more familiar with it.  My first listen to any record is always an awkward experience, as I find I often allow myself to get distracted while listening, and my main desire is usually to get through the whole thing as quickly as possible.  Only over time, when I have listened to the songs many times, do I usually gain a true appreciation for what is going on in any given record. 

"Realism" is a pretty short one, running just over half an hour.  I do wish it could have been a bit longer, but the album still manages to fit in 14 songs.  And, as with all their records, it never runs short of ideas.  After almost 20 years of releasing music, The Magnetic Fields are still vibrant, relevant, and surprising.

See you in two weeks!  I can't wait.