Tag: Claudia Gonson

Noise Pop Film Review: Strange Powers Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields at The Mezzanine, 2/28/10

Added Bonus: Q & A with Stephin Merritt, Claudia Gonson and the Directors

The film Strange Powers, Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields opens with Stephin Merritt being interviewed by one of the directors.  She asks “What are you reading now?” and the question is greeted with a dark stare and stony silence.  This is how genuine the film is in its portrayal of this iconic songwriter, which is demonstrated in the Q & A after the movie.  Stephin Merritt doesn’t waste words.  Much like his song lyrics, his responses are concise and thought out. The good news is, for the most part, so is the film. Continue reading “Noise Pop Film Review: Strange Powers Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields at The Mezzanine, 2/28/10”

Album Review: The Magnetic Fields – Realism

From the opening notes of The Magnetic Fields’ new record Realism you feel at home.  There’s the familiar jangly acoustic instruments and Stephin Merritt’s low drone of a voice mixing with Claudia Gonson’s sweeter one.  The lyrics are clever and the longest song comes in at 3:26.  This isn’t the strange distorted Magnetic Fields of their last record; this is more like 69 Love Songs revisited, sweet and expected.  At first it feels too similar to their previous work to be anything interesting enough to keep you coming back.  I struggled with this idea, then realized that I’d been listening to the album almost constantly for a week letting the words and notes seep into every part of my mind, like subtle magic. Continue reading “Album Review: The Magnetic Fields — Realism”