House of Tomorrow [EP]

The Magnetic Fields | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 12, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B00000G1IY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,357 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The Magnetic Fields: Stephin Merritt (vocals, guitar); Claudia Gonson (vocals, drums); Nell Beram (guitar); Sam Davol (cello); Phylene Amuso (bass).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 highlight, while "Young and Insane" and "(You're So) Technical" find the singer-songwriter at his most caustic. Perhaps less fulfilling than any of the Fields' full-length releases, THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW is nonetheless an essential purchase. PREVIEW : --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 12 Minutes of Pop Perfection, July 22, 2002

By 

B Narasimhan (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Tomorrow (Audio CD)

It may only be 12 minutes long but it is a perfect disc. Every song is a gem, none more so than the last song. Stephin Merritt writes better songs than anyone else even within the strict formal constraints of this disc(each song is built on a repeating chordal/rhythmic loop). Buy this and Holiday which is better than 69 Love Songs, as far as I'm concerned.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first non-electronic Mag Fields EP is a must-buy, April 30, 2006

By 

Wade Marchand "mag fields completist" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Tomorrow (Audio CD)

House of tomorrow is a must buy if only for one song: Love Goes Home to Paris in the Spring. The first time I heard it, on a 45, I cried, as did everyone else in the room. Sure it's another patented Stephin Merritt heart break/love song, but the tone is more final and certain compared to later songs: "I've had enough/you never give me anything/Don't you know love/goes home to paris in the spring?"

When this EP first came out (as a 7" - it WAS definitely a good value when it was originally released, don't blame Merritt & co for changes in technology) it was described by the band as their 'loop song' ep -- each song is comprised of a single loop, repeated over and over and over, on analog instruments. At the time this was downright revolutionary for them, as they had not previously recorded with live instruments. They occasionally return to this loop format, but not nearly as effectively as on this recording.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars time is a concept by which we measure our pain, October 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: House of Tomorrow (Audio CD)

reviews of CDs that whine about playing time crack me up (see previous review below). that's not the point, kids. it's what the artists do with the time that's important. and what we have here is twelve minutes of pop magic. every song is a winner. this CD could be 4 minutes long and i'd still give it 5 stars. chew on that, clock-watchers.