From The Velvets to Irving Berlin, a panoply of inspirations.
The Magnetic Fields: Deep Cuts
Dive further into the synth-heavy indie pop band's glowing tunes.
Artist Biography
Built around the nonpareil songwriting of Stephin Merritt, the Magnetic Fields became one of the most important and representative groups of the indie rock genre. Marked by a flare for tender melodies, acerbically witty lyrics, and uncluttered arrangements, the band evolved from the stripped-down synth pop of their early albums into more organic readings of Merritt's intelligent songcraft. Prolific to the point of spilling over into several side projects, he maintained a remarkable level of quality with the Magnetic Fields, even as they began exploring ambitious conceptual releases like 1999's three-volume collection 69 Love Songs or 2020's Quickies, a collection of 28 short songs, some of which clocked in at less than 30 seconds long.