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LoafingOaf
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http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2004/MERC-May-27-Thu-2004/23939674.html
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury
CDVS: Morrissey vs. The Magnetic Fields
Not that they'd see it the same way, but Morrissey and Magnetic Fields singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt have quite a lot in common. We're talking two of the dandiest and most forlorn, acerbic and self-absorbed artists in rock. They're both possessed with gifts of melody, melodrama and wit. They're often simultaneously endearing and temperamental. And they both have enviable cult followings. They've also both just released hotly anticipated albums--Mozzer's You Are the Quarry comes seven years after the largely dismissed Maladjusted and the Fields' i follows five years after the rapturously received three-disc set, 69 Love Songs.
Many predicted Morrissey would heroically return with Quarry and they're largely right. It's his most consistently rewarding effort since 1994's lauded Vauxhall and I, and in some ways it's also his most lyrically dynamic. From the conflicted expat stance of opener "America Is Not the World" to the light, though familiarly longing "I Like You," Morrissey takes on a variety of subjects and moods that only find a common ground through that inimitable voice of his. Nearly every line is conveyed with a poised passion, as well as a vocal range wider than it's ever been. Single "Irish Blood, English Heart" is so electric you wish more songs had followed suit, but the real pop gem of the disc may be "First of the Gang to Die," romanticizing thug life as only Morrissey could (while nodding to his devoted Latino fan base in the process).
On i, the Magnetic Fields' seventh collection, the band sounds decidedly more focused than on 69 Love Songs, both musically and lyrically. This time around, synthesizers are abandoned and traditional instruments (cellos, harpsichords, banjos) are highlighted, giving the album more of a baroque, '60s-throwback feel. On the album's most tuneful track, "I Don't Believe You," Merritt sounds like a wry and cynical Burt Bacharach, and the tonal juxtaposition is hardly a wash. The effect also works on "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend," driven by a majestically rolling piano and Merritt's melodic, monotone ire. Speaking of which, he certainly embraces the role of a lover scorned (or scorning), save a few deviations. Something like "I Die" might be a mere adolescent torch song without a line like "You think your youth/ a permanent truth," but Merritt seems unnervingly trite on "It's Only Time," its declaration of eternal love the stuff of MOR ballads.
Both artists have their withering moments, though otherwise proving they're in prime pop form. On the comeback scale, we'll tip this one to the Mozzer, if only because his return just feels more triumphant.--Mike Prevatt
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury
CDVS: Morrissey vs. The Magnetic Fields
Not that they'd see it the same way, but Morrissey and Magnetic Fields singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt have quite a lot in common. We're talking two of the dandiest and most forlorn, acerbic and self-absorbed artists in rock. They're both possessed with gifts of melody, melodrama and wit. They're often simultaneously endearing and temperamental. And they both have enviable cult followings. They've also both just released hotly anticipated albums--Mozzer's You Are the Quarry comes seven years after the largely dismissed Maladjusted and the Fields' i follows five years after the rapturously received three-disc set, 69 Love Songs.
Many predicted Morrissey would heroically return with Quarry and they're largely right. It's his most consistently rewarding effort since 1994's lauded Vauxhall and I, and in some ways it's also his most lyrically dynamic. From the conflicted expat stance of opener "America Is Not the World" to the light, though familiarly longing "I Like You," Morrissey takes on a variety of subjects and moods that only find a common ground through that inimitable voice of his. Nearly every line is conveyed with a poised passion, as well as a vocal range wider than it's ever been. Single "Irish Blood, English Heart" is so electric you wish more songs had followed suit, but the real pop gem of the disc may be "First of the Gang to Die," romanticizing thug life as only Morrissey could (while nodding to his devoted Latino fan base in the process).
On i, the Magnetic Fields' seventh collection, the band sounds decidedly more focused than on 69 Love Songs, both musically and lyrically. This time around, synthesizers are abandoned and traditional instruments (cellos, harpsichords, banjos) are highlighted, giving the album more of a baroque, '60s-throwback feel. On the album's most tuneful track, "I Don't Believe You," Merritt sounds like a wry and cynical Burt Bacharach, and the tonal juxtaposition is hardly a wash. The effect also works on "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend," driven by a majestically rolling piano and Merritt's melodic, monotone ire. Speaking of which, he certainly embraces the role of a lover scorned (or scorning), save a few deviations. Something like "I Die" might be a mere adolescent torch song without a line like "You think your youth/ a permanent truth," but Merritt seems unnervingly trite on "It's Only Time," its declaration of eternal love the stuff of MOR ballads.
Both artists have their withering moments, though otherwise proving they're in prime pop form. On the comeback scale, we'll tip this one to the Mozzer, if only because his return just feels more triumphant.--Mike Prevatt
