Stephen Mejias

The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs

Stephen Mejias  |  Feb 1, 2010

Just this morning, I was thinking about the Magnetic Fields, and specifically about how I haven’t really enjoyed their work since 1999’s inspired 69 Love Songs. While i had plenty of fine moments, I can’t stand to listen to it anymore. It strikes me as mawkish and false. Distortion bothered me from the very beginning. There was nothing to hold on to. And though I’m mildly interested in the new one, Realism, I'm not excited enough to add it to “the list.”

69 Love Songs, however, is something else. “If it were reissued on vinyl,” I thought to myself, “I’d just have to buy it.”

Dammit. The Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs is scheduled to be released on April 20. The deluxe box will be limited to 3000 sets, and will feature remastered versions of all 69 compositions, pressed to six 10-inch discs. I need it. Just thinking about it takes me right back to so many sad, quiet, late-night drives along the Jersey Turnpike.

I haven’t seen anything on the Merge website about this; I heard about it on the Stereophile Twitter page, in a post from MBV. Pitchfork is talking about it, too.

Also, there is this: 69 Love Songs, Illustrated.

COMMENTS
Dom Perignon's picture
Submitted by Dom Perignon (not verified) on February 6, 2010 - 1:00pm

You are patheticYou really have nothing else to talk than cassettes?And when it is not cassettes it is turntables

anne B.'s picture
Submitted by anne B. (not verified) on February 24, 2010 - 5:10pm

69 is the number of copies of the boxed set that will be sold.

Gregory's picture
Submitted by Gregory (not verified) on February 24, 2010 - 5:44pm

Is Joanna Newsome on this album? If not, what's this doing here?

Chas's picture
Submitted by Chas (not verified) on March 3, 2010 - 10:40pm

I clicked the comments on the 69 Love Songs and thought WTF? what weirdos! 69 Love Songs is one of the best things ever released! And, I need it, not just want it, on VINYL! It's been talked about for a while, can't wait for its release.Thanks Stephen! I hope you play it at the next monkeyhaus gathering you're at.

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