The Magnetic Fields

The Magnetic Fields is New York City band fronted by singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt.Their albums consist of synthesiser popish music in a somewhat 80s style infused with pretty clever lyrics, usually about love, that are at times ironic,with some bitter overtones and even some humor at times.

The band began as Merritt's studio project, with Merritt playing all instruments. With the help of friend Claudia Gonson, who had played in Merritt's band The Zinnias during high school, a live band was assembled in Boston, where Merritt and Gonson lived, to play Merritt's compositions. The band's first live performance was at TT the Bear's Place in Boston, MA in 1991 where they played to a sparse audience expecting to see Galaxie 500 spinoff Magnetophone. The live performance sounded nothing like the recordings, which continued to be true for the band until recent years when the two sounds - studio and live - began to converge.

Their most significant, popular, and critically-acclaimed album to date is the triple album 69 Love Songs. It showcased Merritt's powerful songwriting abilities and the group's musicianship, demonstrated by the employment of unorthodox instrumental arrangements (including ukulele, banjo, accordion, cello, mandolin, piano, flute, xylophone, Marxophone, and various percussion instruments, in addition to their usual setup of synthesizers, guitars, and effects). The album also features guest vocalists Shirley Simms, Dudley Klute, LD Beghtol and bandmember Claudia Gonson - each of whom sings lead on six songs as well as various backing vocals - plus Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) on accordion, and longtime collaborator Christopher Ewen (of Future Bible Heroes) as guest arranger/synthesist. Violinist Ida Pearle makes a brief cameo on the popular Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side

Here is the first of three songs i wanted to share by the band, the first "All My Little Words" show the bands talent and style singing about, love, loss and perhaps humanities ability to pick up the peices of a broken heart and move on.



This second song "I don't Believe you" is a more first person narrative about love and I think a far more personal offering then earlier work from the band.



The last song "California Girls" is one of those songs to listen to on those long lonely nights when you just need time to yourself to reflect on things. This song is also totally disturbing. It is taking an idea that many find obnoxious (i.e. young, shallow people) and then seeing that idea as an extremely personal offense to oneself. I think the song perfectly captures this sentiment, especially when the singer thinks she is special enough to feel personally judged by these countless and anonymous blondes, but it makes me highly uncomfortable because of the thick vein of realistic representation running through it....enjoy

Martha and the Muffins

Based in Toronto, Martha and the Muffins comprised Martha Johnson (vocals, keyboards), Martha Ladly (vocals, keyboards, trombone), guitarist Mark Gane, bassist Carl Finkle, drummer Tim Gane and saxophonist Andy Haas. The group formed in 1977 and, on the strength of their debut independent single, "Insect Love/Suburban Dream," were signed by Virgin U.K. to a contract. The band's debut album, Metro Music, appeared in 1980. After 1981's This Is the Ice Age and Danseparc two years later, Johnson and Gane moved the outfit to England and recorded Mystery Walk (1984) and The World Is a Ball (1986) as M+M. Martha and the Muffins were resurrected for 1992's Modern Lullaby.