19th January 2025 - The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
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I first conciously heard The Magnetic Fields as part of the soundtrack 
for an episode of South Park. The episode was Tweek x Craig, Season 
19, Episode 6. In the episode, the children of South Park are 
introduced to yaoi by an influx of Asian students. Pictures of Tweek 
and Craig kissing and being in a relationship start appearing, leading 
Tweek and Craig to wonder if they are gay. The song 'The Book of Love' 
plays while the town embraces having a gay couple and Cartman wonders 
about his own sexuality. It is a strange episode to describe but has a 
surprising amount of taste for the subject matter. Well worth 
watching!  

When I first heard the song, I felt an urge to go find out who did it. 
The version used in South Park is the Peter Gabriel cover. This led 
me down the path to discover The Magnetic Fields. Unfortunately I then 
forgot about the band. 

A few days ago, I returned into watching NPR's Tiny Desk and found The 
Magnetic Fields had done one in the past month. The band play mostly 
accoustic with the only electric instrument being a cello. Well, an 
electric one seems much more practical! This performance [1] is 
magical. The band are not perfect but that is part of the charm. No 
performance is perfect and it is refreshing to hear voices being 
pushed. You also learn that Stephin Merritt is ill and still singing 
beautifully. The whole set is just filled with emotion and has become 
part of my top 5 Tiny Desks. The songs performed caught my attention 
and made me finally buy the album.

The album is 3 volumes of 23 songs themed around love. Well the title 
says it all! The songs are typically short concepts. Some have many 
layers of instruments while others just use a voice. The songs tackle 
more than the good or sad side of love. They seem to cover a whole 
variety of aspects to love. Perhaps this is an album which requires 
experience to truely appreciate? 

Genre or style wise, this album is hard to pin down. Why pin it 
though? Embrace the variety! This is an album all about emotion and 
how you react. It is not an album you will want playing all the time 
but it is one you will reach out for. It certainly requires 
repeated listening as there is lots to discover. The lyrics are filled 
with charm too. I have certainly had a lovely time listening to this. 
Go and listen! Experience it and find those songs which particularly 
move you. 

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnFQn7GD1rg