Back on the synth-pop train, Stephin Merrit returns with new album for The Magnetic Fields in Love at the Bottom of the Sea. All in all there are plenty of positives about the record, including the addition of noise-pop and a dark(ish) humour that inspires some great tracks. However, there are also a few songs that don’t really have much long term listenability beyond the first play of the album.
Things start off with a joke of a track, Your Girlfriend’s Face, just to reiterate that right off the bat things shouldn’t be taken all that seriously. However, what that leaves is a slightly humorous, but ultimately poor song that sounds like it came from the cutting room floor of the Flight of the Concords’ next project.
However, the fuzzy synth, alt-rock-pop genius of Andrew in Drag is easily one of the highlights of the album, with a funny tongue in cheek tale of drag queen loving conflict. It’s a theme that continues on Born for Love, which returns to the deeper vocals that work so well on Andrew in Drag.
Super-synth Gary Newman style prevail on Infatuation (With Your Gyration) continuing the initial flow of class tracks. However, in The Only Boy in Town things get too dry to have much of an impact. The Machine in Your Hand is good, but it’s also a little empty, while Going Back to the Country is a sure fire skip track.
I’ve Run Away to the Fairies brings things back with a jolt of fantasy darkness. It’s got some great noise overlays and it’s over all too fast. However, a carousel feel runs throughout The Horrible Party that’s easily passed over on later plays. The comedy lines get lost in silly vocals that are probably intentional, but result in another skip track.
The music that sits behind My Husband’s Pied-A-Terre is let down by vocals that don’t really go well enough on the song. However, I Don’t Like Your Tone returns to the lower vocals that work much better on Love at the Bottom of the Sea. The crackling noise overarching piano melodies works really well, but it’s followed up by the squeaky vocals of Quick! Sounding silly fits well with the sarcastic pop lyrics, but it doesn’t make the song easy to like.
All She Cares About is Mariachi is a great swan song for Love at the Bottom of the Sea. Blending rich vocals, mariachi band influences and synth-noise excellence, it’s one of the best tracks on the album. Though it too is slightly silly and laced with comic effect, it still works as a song to listen to in its own right, which isn’t something that can’t be said for all of the tracks.
Where often the camp-pop humour of Love at the Bottom of the Sea works well, it’s brought low by the occasional dip. With a 15 track album it feels like there were too many precious embraces for songs that could have been slipped back under the blue.
The Magnetic Fields Love at the Bottom of the Sea album review: 3.4/5
