BBC Latest Rock & Indie Reviews: The Magnetic Fields - Realism
"Consistently confirms what an unusually inventive arranger Stephin Merritt is."
January 22, 2010
Album review: The Magnetic Fields - Realism (Nonesuch) The Magnetic Fields Tickets
Tuck into some sophisticated sarcasm from one of pop's finest songwriters
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8 / 10
The soft-shoe companion to 2008’s hard-soled, feedback-drenched ‘Distortion’, ‘Realism’ uses virginal Judy Collins albums as its jump-off point. But with this still being the work of MF’s mainman Stephin Merritt, it’s much less peace-signs and ponchos at dawn and more like sophisticated sarcasm for elevenses. ‘Distortion’’s ‘California Girls’ finds its match in ‘The Dolls’ Tea Party’; a terse unveiling of Upper East Side mores with a killer Claudia Gonson vocal, it rips into high society with the grace of an Oscar Wilde put-down. Similarly, the last album’s ‘Too Drunk To Dream’ is mirrored by the tongue-in-cheek waltz ‘Seduced And Abandoned’. More A-grade angst from one of our cleverest songwriters.
Priya Elan
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External Reviews of The Magnetic Fields - Realism
Music: Pop and rock + Album reviews | guardian.co.uk: Magnetic Fields: Realism | CD review
"Magnetic Fields: Realism | CD review"
This Is Fake DIY / Reviews: The Magnetic Fields - Realism
"An album that appears majestic enough on the surface, but is full of holes and never quite floats right."
This Is Fake DIY / Reviews: Shine 2009 - Realism
"An altogether warmer, more laid back, soulful sound."
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| Date/Time | Venue | Town/City | Seetickets | Viagogo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 09, 2012 10:00 | Butlins Holiday Centre | Minehead |
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| Apr 24, 2012 19:00 | Komedia Theatre | Brighton | Tickets not currently available. |
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| Apr 24, 2012 19:00 | Komedia | Bath |
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