Magnetic Fields - Holiday

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Music reviews of Holiday

Music Review: painfully beautiful
Rating: 5 Stars

The album also has probably my favorite lyrics of all the Magnetic Fields releases. Everything Stephin Merritt comes together in the imagery of the opening lines to "The Flowers She Sent": "I saw you standing at the airport / with your chiahuahua in your hand / Crying on the moving sidewalk / on your way to Disneyland." That's not to shake a stick at the dense growling "Desert Island" where Merritt is put with his love in that very place that dreams are made of. "We'll develop muscles / from cracking coconuts / Let our clothing drop off / feel each other's butts." He has a way with turning old love song ideas on their head. For example, it's not out of the ordinary to be singing about a lover's eyes, but Merritt writes "My heart just turns to ice when I see myself reflected in your torn green velvet eyes." Although, I have to say that since in most Magnetic Fields albums not many people seem to be getting any, there seems to be a lot of happiness on this album.

As usual, the music is programmed most of the time, but we hear some branching out on "Sad Little Moon" where a violin, tuba and glockenspiel provide almost all of the music. It's refreshing since its slapped between two synthpop songs. And the whole album is wrapped up with "Take Ecstacy With Me," maybe my favorite Magnetic Fields song - all time. It starts off with the the percussion of a guiro and a bass drum and there's tons of synthed flutes and guitars and such and it's all very dense and extremely addictive. This is the only song not sung by Merritt, and it's done beautifully by Susan Anway.

Don't have enough money for 69 Love Songs? Then get Holiday.

Description of Holiday

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock