***Cast your mind back to notable landmarks of 1992. Outside the Twin Cities, Mall of America opened to the public. Frank Gehry’s enormous golden fish sculpture, El Peix, welcomed Barcelona Olympians. And The House of Tomorrow, a four-song 7-inch on a small indie label, ushered in a new era for The Magnetic Fields. When Susan Anway, who sang on early albums Distant Plastic Trees and The Wayward Bus, left the group, Stephin Merritt stepped up to the microphone. He sought to sound simple, subtle, and unobtrusive, à la the Japanese concept of shibusa. Likewise, the arrangements and production of The House of Tomorrow felt less polished overall than on its predecessors, even as the band’s sound was evolving. Newly remastered and available as a 12-inch for the first time.
CD $9.25
01/19/1999
LP $17.75
06/24/2024
***Love at the Bottom of the Sea is the first new release with Merge since 1999’s highly acclaimed 69 Love Songs. The band will celebrate their new album with a North American tour that passes through SXSW in Austin, Texas. After putting out three synthesizer-free albums, TJE 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. (STREET DATE - 3/06/2012)
LP $18.25
03/06/2012
CD $13.75
03/06/2012
***REISSUED ON VINYL!!! Following Charm of the Highway Strip, Get Lost and the 69 Love Songs vinyl box set, Holiday is the fourth in a series of the MAGNETIC FIELDS LP re-issues. The songs of Holiday are melodic and immediately accessible, but with a chilly tone and a predilection for odd noises and unexpected accents. The album has been remastered for vinyl by JEFF LIPTON at Peerless Mastering for this first-ever LP pressing. All copies include a coupon for digital download. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl. No Export to Canada. (STREET DATE - 10/25/2011)
LP $17.25
10/25/2011
***Limited edition silver vinyl anniversary reissue of the Magnetic Fields’ classic 1999 rumination on, of course, love. Funny, smart, dark, memorable, and a lifetime’s worth of listening. Stephin Merritt solidifies his songwriting genius on his “most ambitious and fully realized work.” (AMG) This vinyl reissue is remastered for vinyl and beautifully packaged in a 10” slipcase box with three double gatefold sleeves and a 24 page booklet!
6X10 $109.85
04/20/2010
6x10" COLOR $146.95
03/01/2024
CD $11.00
07/08/1996