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16 June 2005

Get Lost

The song that got me hooked on the Magnetic Fields was "Love is Lighter Than Air" from the Get Lost album.

Well, I finally got hold of the rest of the album, the only MF album I didn't have yet. All the reviews I had read indicated that it was the weakest of their work. Not so for me; I still think i holds that distinction even though it was a good CD in the absolute sense.

Now, to like the Magnetic Fields you have to be sentimental, and you have to be romantic at heart. If you don't have those things going for you, I guarantee you won't like the music. I, being of the aforementioned ilk, dig it profusely.

I know what I like. Even so, I am not much of an album reviewer. But here goes... It starts out kind of slow, so by the time I got to "Smoke and Mirrors" I was ready for a good groove. Another deeply sentimental song, then "You and Me and the Moon," which is lively and fast paced. The album really hits its stride at about track 7: "Save a Secret for the Moon." is quick and full of pep. Two tracks later is "Love is Lighter Than Air," which is still my favorite. It is hard not to stand up and dance when I hear it. The song is about summer, love and the beach. "Somewhere sunny summer's marching to a different drummer..." says a lot to me.

"All the Umbrellas in London" is one of the saddest songs I have ever listened to. It is self-loathing, so if you're not into that kind of thing, stay clear. "I've got no sense of direction/I guess I've got no sense at all/All the umbrellas in London couldn't stop this rain." It is about a fellow (doesn't have to be I guess) who is down on everything. "I don't cry anymore, I go out the door/and I usually keep on walking."

"The Dreaming Moon" is a fitting end to the album. It left me in a different place than where the album started. In that sense, it was a journey of sorts. Most songs evoked distant memories of my past. Let's face it: we've all been through a thing or two. Nobody can make past the age of 25 without ever having been stung by something or another. If you've got the right mind for it, this album has music that many people can relate to.

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