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Editorial Reviews
The Magnetic Fields return to the signature mix of synth and acoustic sounds they established in the 90s with Merge releases such as The Charm of the Highway Strip and Get Lost. Stephin Merritt has come back to synths with a fresh approach: "Most of the synthesizers on the record didn't exist when we were last using synthesizers," he notes. The songs none over three minutes long were recorded in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York with Merritt's usual cast of collaborators: Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, John Woo, Shirley Simms, Johny Blood and Daniel Handler.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 61 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I think there are ultimately two good songs on this album ("Andrew in Drag" and "Quick") which are the band's first two singles off the record, and two strong tunes for the MF canon. "Andrew in Drag" is a sad but wry little number about a straight guy who falls for his friend in drag, a doomed romance that can never be, as the subject of all his affection is basically an apparition:
"...The moment he walked on the stage
My tail began to wag
Wag like a little wiener dog for
Andrew in drag..."
The rest of the album sounds like a Lemony Snickety-Gothic Archies-Future Bible Heroes bunch of B-sides; a bizarre underground children's musical that was never produced. I don't know what they're going for on this one, but I can't get into it, and it isn't all a pleasure to sit through, quite frankly. The title of the record itself seems cold and ironic, since nothing on the record seems to reference it, and it seems to have been written and recorded in the basement of an aquarium. Weak Magnetic Fields songs serve only as an uncomfortable reminder that Merritt isn't the most charismatic of vocalists, and his sunset days might be better spent writing lyrics in the drafty upstairs loft of a German opera house.
Merritt's signature curmudgeonly zingers are in the right places, but something just doesn't coalesce. As a whole, the music feels tired and a tad lazy. I've felt iffy about their last couple of efforts, but this time I'm downright disappointed. It can be argued the band peaked with synth pop ("Holiday"), with songwriting ("69 Love Songs") with clever arrangements ("i") and with fuzzy, shoegazy rock ("Distortion"). So what's left for the Magnetic Fields?
This is the first album in a while that doesn't constrain them into some sort of FRAMEWORK (all songs must begin with the letter I, all songs must be love songs, all songs must sound like Jesus and Mary Chain tributes) and now I'm starting to wonder if the self-imposed structure was necessary to distill the mayhem. So here are some future ideas for the Magnetic Fields. Call it my Disconsolate Top 10 for a drowning indie band. You can thank me later.
1. All songs must be produced by someone different, but their first names must all be palindromes.
2. All songs must be based on nineteenth century British novels.
3. All songs must be in b-minor (and then the band must tour with the Raveonettes).
4. All songs must incorporate the following two instruments: the tambourine and the singing saw.
5. All songs must be duets.
6. All songs must be recorded backwards. Possible album title: "Backwards".
7. All songs must be Metallica covers.
8. All songs must have Merritt singing in falsetto a la Bon Iver.
9. All songs must reference, and be a sequel of sorts, to previous Magnetic Fields songs. I.e., who does Andrew in Drag wind up dating?
10. All songs must be about a different and specific Jackson Pollack painting--will be chaos to title each track, but I feel Merritt and Co. are up to the task.
"...The moment he walked on the stage
My tail began to wag
Wag like a little wiener dog for
Andrew in drag..."
The rest of the album sounds like a Lemony Snickety-Gothic Archies-Future Bible Heroes bunch of B-sides; a bizarre underground children's musical that was never produced. I don't know what they're going for on this one, but I can't get into it, and it isn't all a pleasure to sit through, quite frankly. The title of the record itself seems cold and ironic, since nothing on the record seems to reference it, and it seems to have been written and recorded in the basement of an aquarium. Weak Magnetic Fields songs serve only as an uncomfortable reminder that Merritt isn't the most charismatic of vocalists, and his sunset days might be better spent writing lyrics in the drafty upstairs loft of a German opera house.
Merritt's signature curmudgeonly zingers are in the right places, but something just doesn't coalesce. As a whole, the music feels tired and a tad lazy. I've felt iffy about their last couple of efforts, but this time I'm downright disappointed. It can be argued the band peaked with synth pop ("Holiday"), with songwriting ("69 Love Songs") with clever arrangements ("i") and with fuzzy, shoegazy rock ("Distortion"). So what's left for the Magnetic Fields?
This is the first album in a while that doesn't constrain them into some sort of FRAMEWORK (all songs must begin with the letter I, all songs must be love songs, all songs must sound like Jesus and Mary Chain tributes) and now I'm starting to wonder if the self-imposed structure was necessary to distill the mayhem. So here are some future ideas for the Magnetic Fields. Call it my Disconsolate Top 10 for a drowning indie band. You can thank me later.
1. All songs must be produced by someone different, but their first names must all be palindromes.
2. All songs must be based on nineteenth century British novels.
3. All songs must be in b-minor (and then the band must tour with the Raveonettes).
4. All songs must incorporate the following two instruments: the tambourine and the singing saw.
5. All songs must be duets.
6. All songs must be recorded backwards. Possible album title: "Backwards".
7. All songs must be Metallica covers.
8. All songs must have Merritt singing in falsetto a la Bon Iver.
9. All songs must reference, and be a sequel of sorts, to previous Magnetic Fields songs. I.e., who does Andrew in Drag wind up dating?
10. All songs must be about a different and specific Jackson Pollack painting--will be chaos to title each track, but I feel Merritt and Co. are up to the task.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By B. Shutes
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Is this the best Magnetic Fields album ever? No. Is it the "Best MF album since..."? That's nearly impossible to judge since virtually every album in the group's catalogue is so wildly divergent from the one before it. That being said, the sound of "Love at the Bottom of the Sea" is very much in line with 1995's "Get Lost," which happens to be my favorite album from the Magnetic Fields. (I guess, then, that you can take this review with a grain of salt for that very reason.)
So, what's left to do? I guess we should judge the album as its own work and the songs on their own merits.
1.) "God Wants Us to Wait" is a very funny take-down of the current environment of sexual politics and religion. In the same vein as "We Are Having a Hootenanny" from "Realism," this track has a memorable, thumping backbeat that makes it a very strong opener for the album.
2.) "Andrew in Drag" is Mr. Merritt in prime lyrical form. The sound is vintage Magnetic Fields - in a very good way.
3.) "Your Girlfriend's Face" is, admittedly, my favorite track. A hilarious contemplation of hiring an assassin for an ex and his present girlfriend, the entire lyrical line is so focused in being unhinged that you need to listen again to make sure you did hear it right. You did.
I'm going to stop because I'm telling you what I think is good, which is rather against the point of my review. I find "Infatuation (With Your Gyration)," "Goin' Back to the Country," "My Husband's Pied-a-Terre," and "Quick!" are all very good tracks - better than the accusation of being nothing more than B-Sides, such as other reviewers have written.
Is this album made of five-star, solid-gold songs? No, but it's much better than people are making it out to be. There are, in my opinion, quite a few songs that will enter the standard MF repertoire. Give it a listen for yourself if you happen to be a Magnetic Fields fan - especially of their earlier work. You might just be surprised.
So, what's left to do? I guess we should judge the album as its own work and the songs on their own merits.
1.) "God Wants Us to Wait" is a very funny take-down of the current environment of sexual politics and religion. In the same vein as "We Are Having a Hootenanny" from "Realism," this track has a memorable, thumping backbeat that makes it a very strong opener for the album.
2.) "Andrew in Drag" is Mr. Merritt in prime lyrical form. The sound is vintage Magnetic Fields - in a very good way.
3.) "Your Girlfriend's Face" is, admittedly, my favorite track. A hilarious contemplation of hiring an assassin for an ex and his present girlfriend, the entire lyrical line is so focused in being unhinged that you need to listen again to make sure you did hear it right. You did.
I'm going to stop because I'm telling you what I think is good, which is rather against the point of my review. I find "Infatuation (With Your Gyration)," "Goin' Back to the Country," "My Husband's Pied-a-Terre," and "Quick!" are all very good tracks - better than the accusation of being nothing more than B-Sides, such as other reviewers have written.
Is this album made of five-star, solid-gold songs? No, but it's much better than people are making it out to be. There are, in my opinion, quite a few songs that will enter the standard MF repertoire. Give it a listen for yourself if you happen to be a Magnetic Fields fan - especially of their earlier work. You might just be surprised.
By Dan Wobick
Format:Audio CD
Addicted to the "Quick!" video, (I've been watching it daily on Vulu) I had to own the "seed" from which it came. It doesn't disappoint. The songs are brilliantly constructed and extremely catchy. You get a sense of nostalgia from the album. I pick up on hints of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and today. Buy it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Take It From Someone Who Tried Getting Into 69 Love Songs Vol. 1
I tried getting into '69 Love Songs Vol. 1' but just didn't get what the fervor was all about. I then forgot about MF. Read more
Published 5 months ago by August
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Value
Great Music at a Great Value. You can't go wrong with a purchase of this collection. Delightful music at a bargain price.
Published 7 months ago by James
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid album
You'd think Merrit would be out of ideas for love songs after making an album with 69 of them, but he can still work his magic. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Zap Rowsdower
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantasticle
From the start this album was exactly what I hopes it would be. I have loved the magnetic fields for years and this album brought on the same feeling I got from when I first heard... Read more
Published 12 months ago by jgomez
3.0 out of 5 stars
Voyage to See What's On The Bottom
Stephin Merritt tries to pop out with synth songs that stay short, have two vocal dimensions (squeaky voice or grumble drone), and run hot or cold. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Tim Brough
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Excellent Record From The Magnetic Fields
Love At The Bottom Of The Sea is a fun, witty, well-written record like one would expect from The Magnetic Fields, I'd say it's well worth adding to your music collection.
Published 13 months ago by Mark Abrahamsen
2.0 out of 5 stars
B-Sides at Best
Skip it, this is ridiculous. Honestly the first MF album I've listened to that wasn't composed of 60% solid songs. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Matthew Case
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hit and Miss, Mostly Miss
As a fan of Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields I would describe Love at the Bottom of the Sea as the more consistently downer version of the clever 69 Love Songs series (3... Read more
Published 14 months ago by David Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars
How does he do it?
I always love Stephin Merritt's lyrics, and as always many of these songs are very catchy (My husband's Pied a Terre, The Machine in your hand, and Infatuation). Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jessica Van Doren
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top shelf
This is top shelf stuff. Their best since Distortion, and a great album to mark their return to Merge. Anyone who says otherwise is crazy. This is classic Magnetic Fields.
Published 14 months ago by Francis T. Mcdevitt III
