Quickies

by The Magnetic Fields

Overview

Stephin Merritt's songwriting seems to be at its best when he's fitting it into a solid framework. Along with various high-concept side projects over the years, many of the Magnetic Fields' albums have been organized around an over-arching theme, giving them some rules or parameters to limit Merritt's boundless output. Twelfth studio album Quickies is sculpted around the concept of short songs, 28 of them, none of which reach the three-minute mark. In some ways, Merritt has done this before. One of the Magnetic Fields' most well-received albums, 1999's 69 Love Songs, had no shortage of brief tunes padding out its more substantial ones. Those quick songs felt more like interludes between fleshed-out statements, where Quickies tracks like the 17-second-long "Death Pact (Let's Make A)" read more like partially completed thoughts. The shortest and sparest tunes feel like fragmental asides, but many songs are more developed than the concept would let on. Even with a minimal arrangement of piano and vocal harmonies, "The Day the Politicians Died" is up there with some of Merritt's most memorable tunes; his distinctive flair for melody and winking lyrical turns are as strong as ever. "Let's Get Drunk Again (And Get Divorced)," even at an economical minute-and-16-seconds, feels just a verse and synth solo short of fitting in on The Charm of the Highway Strip. "Come, Life, Shaker Life!" reveals a new direction, with wispy folk chords and lyrics referencing Shaker beliefs. The least interesting songs are usually the ones that stick the least, so the few duds on Quickies are quickly absorbed by a ratio consisting of mostly great pop songs. If anything, the album reinforces the unstoppable brilliance of Merritt's writing. At any length, instrumentation or investigating whatever ridiculous subject matter, he somehow manages to be effortlessly charming, funny, odd, and above all, catchy. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	06/05/2020
Label:	Nonesuch
UPC:	0075597920567
Rank:	96570

Tracks

1. Castles of America
2. The Biggest Tits in History
3. The Day the Politicians Died
4. Castles Down a Dirt Road
5. Bathroom Quickie
6. My Stupid Boyfriend
7. Love Gone Wrong
8. Favourite Bar
9. Kill a Man a Week
10. Kraftwerk in a Blackout
11. When She Plays the Toy Piano
12. Death Pact (Let's Make A)
13. I've Got a Date with Jesus
14. Come, Life, Shaker Life!
15. (I Want to Join A) Biker Gang
16. Rock 'n' Roll Guy
17. You've Got a Friend in Beelzebub
18. Let's Get Drunk Again (And Get Divorced)
19. The Best Cup of Coffee in Tennessee
20. When the Brad Upstairs Got a Drum Kit
21. The Price You Pay
22. The Boy in the Corner
23. Song of the Ant
24. I Wish I Had Fangs and a Tail
25. Evil Rhythm
26. She Says Hello
27. The Little Robot Girl
28. I Wish I Were a Prostitute Again

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Magnetic Fields   Primary Artist
Chris Ewen   Piano,Mellotron
Shirley Simms   Vocals (Background),Vocals,Autoharp,Low Vocals
John Woo   Guitar (Electric),Guitar
Sam Davol   Cello
Daniel Handler   Piano,Celeste,Accordion
Benny Grotto   Percussion
Pinky Weitzman   Violin
Stephin Merritt   Banjo,Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Ukulele,Mellotron,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Moog Synthesizer,Piano (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Claudia Gonson   Piano,Vocals,Percussion,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Stephin Merritt   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Shirley Simms   Programming
Jeff Lipton   Mastering
Public Domain   Composer