What's the connection between AR Kane and Magnetic Fields?

I'm so curious as to how anyone could possibly follow up an achievement like 69 Love Songs.

I wonder if JtN was just upset that it sounded too much like more of 69 Love Songs. Maybe it does. But there are enough songs that don't immediately appeal in the way that I'm Tongue-Tied or I Don't Really Love You Anymore do to make me think there's a lot more to get out of it.

Incidentally, it's almost 5 years since '69 Love Songs'. That's a gap to rival the Stone Roses. OK, I guess there was other stuff in between, but it doesn't feel that long. I guess I'm just getting older.

there is a new scarlet's well record out next week, that's a surprise.

anyway as detailed on the other thread about this:

You And I

i am as yet unconvinced as to the merit of this record. i have a feeling it will grow on me though.

I agree with you about wishing he'd made a synthpop record, T. This new one seems a bit tweedy, a bit MOR. He used to say he only like avant garde music and bubblegum and nothing else, and I miss those days.

I can Stevie. But I won't, just yet.

Will get back to you on the Gorky's question, Jerry. But if you're more of a fan of the early stuff then Sarah's probably your woman. Me, I'd just buy How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart (I made you a tape of the two preceding albums, no?).

I am coming the conclusion that the JtN squad and I have different ideas of what we want The Magnetic Fields to be. And that I'm Tongue-Tied is the best song ever recorded. "You kiss me / I'm history" - such sweet economy!

Then I thought of writing an article on 'It's Only Time'.

Then I thought of writing a song.

I have done none of these things. But I arrive back at AR Kane central and find this discussion going on.

>>> N: It sounds like an obvious subject, but has anyone really written a great song about being tongue-tied before?

Probably.

>>> Incidentally, it's almost 5 years since '69 Love Songs'. That's a gap to rival the Stone Roses. OK, I guess there was other stuff in between, but it doesn't feel that long. I guess I'm just getting older.

It's almost 3 years since The Hard Shoulder too. That's what's really bad.

I love 'The Book Of Love'; I think it his best ever.

>>> I agree with you about wishing he'd made a synthpop record, T. This new one seems a bit tweedy, a bit MOR. He used to say he only like avant garde music and bubblegum and nothing else, and I miss those days.

I disagree with all of that. I like the tastefulness of the sound, insofar as there is any.

>>> (BTW, N., can you recommend me some more Gorky's songs that are as good as 'Lucy's Hamper'?)

I listened to Gorky's a few years ago. They were quite bad, very mediocre.

>>> How come you lot are all talking about this well before the release date? I mean, am I the only person who hasn't got an advance copy, because that seems ludicrous, you know, it makes no sense!

She's right.

>>> I like the start of 'Papa Was A Rodeo' but when it gets going on the chorus I start realising that the song means absolutely nothing to me. I'm quite anti-rodeo, generally.

OK, I can go along with that. It is well expressed.

>>> I don't think I like "It's Only Time"! I don't think it works when SM tries to sing like that. And it doesn't have a very interesting tune.

Nonsense. He covers (let me count) NINE DIFFERENT NOTES during the FIRST CHORD!!

I am assuming this is a joke.

The Magnetic Fields - 'i'

I Die – A lazy, shoddy opener. ‘I die when you walk by’ is paint by numbers stuff, and no way to kick off the follow up to a magnum opus. Is he pastiching himself already?

I Don’t Believe You – Originally a cracking little buzz-saw of a song, now re-recorded with hammer, chisel and banjo. Still pretty, but the aural equivalent of Peter Pan’s whiskers. What’s he playing at?

I Don’t Really Love You Any More – Great first 2 seconds. Decent idea overall. ‘I am a gentle man/think of me as just your fan/who remembers every dress you ever wore’ is a high point.

I Looked All Over Town – ‘I wandered in these big blues shoes’ could be the best opening line here. Good chord change soon. Nice polyphonic sounds. The whole clown thing is a wearing, deafeningly dull analogy though.

I Though You Were My Boyfriend – This is interesting. It’s like he’s gone back to the start, then started somewhere else. Italian house piano? This is pretty good stuff. Could do with going later on to prevent flagging. The only one I’ve really been humming.

I Was Born – Jesus Christ, it’s the Divine Comedy! As if the adulation has finally dragged Merritt into some kind of dozy, slobbily contented quicksand.

I Wish I Had An Evil Twin – ‘He would stink of sex appeal’. Stephen’s imagination is running riot now; he must be hoping his doppelganger gets to the critics before this hits the shelves.

If There’s Such A Thing As Love – Stephen finally got hold of a copy of ‘Fold Your Hands…’ Even Claudia is doing her best Sarah Martin impression. But this isn’t so bad, in a jaunty, falling-over-your-feet kind of way. It’s nice to hear him happy.

I’m Tongue-Tied – I’m sure there have been better songs written about this, but for the life of me I can’t think of any. Not earth-shattering though. He’s sleepwalking through this.

I’m An Operetta – Fairly well constructed. I’m surprised he hasn’t written this before, to be honest. Perhaps he has. Nice economy of strings.

Infinitely Late At Night – ‘I feel like I’m in a falling elevator’. Merritt sounds suitably shattered but, in the past, he’d still be dancing at this point.

Irma – Sorry, I was reading. Did I miss something?

Is This What They Used To Call Love – OK, at least there’s some kind of theme here. I’m not sure he’s even trying to make a pop record now. Jazz phrasings and a great, surprising bridge make this a just above average wallower.

It’s Only Time – This is certainly bolstered by the ineptitude of much of its supporting cast, but let’s not be churlish at this late stage. At least he’s found the right mould for a closer. Actually beautiful, soulful, doleful, simple, sleeping far into warm traffic and night: ‘I’ll walk your lands/and swim your sea/marry me’.

can I listen to it, now?

I mean, 'spell'.

You're better than this, though.

I thought I bits of the verse from one of the songs stuck in my head yesterday at work & thought maybe it wasn't too bad, but the song in question was "It's A Crime"!!!

It is still growing a little.

(just kidding)

Classic Cookie!

N's attack on analogy is grate too.

I apologise for spreading this 'I'm An Operetta' meme. It's 'In An Operetta', of course.

I mean it about the clown.

This is nice.

2. I like N.'s 'clowning around' talk.

3. I don't think I understand N.'s 'shift in meaning'.

4. I wonder would Cookie and the Nipper agree, or, confess, that their omission of the word 'is' from (their) sentences... is - a touch of... *Classic Pinefox*?

Tonight wee COZEN is down for ATP! Well, that is what I've heard. I have not seen him. I am not in the - pub, you see.

I did not go to ATP.

I am not going to ATP.

It will be the first year since 1998 that I have not been to Camber Sands.

I haven't chatted to the brucefox in what seems like years.

Isn't it rich? No he is probably in the pub with N. and Cookie.

Isn't it bliss? No, the blissfox isn't in the pub either.

I feel we are all influenced on a subconcious level by *Classic Pinefox*.

It centres around 'looked all over town' = searched, roamed vs 'looked all over town' = viewed the entire town at once, from an aerial perspective, from the end of a balloon.

I haven't even been reading the Glastonbury thread. My subconcious is running riot!

I find this thread an embarrassment. Of what, I can't say.

I have just reread the last 50 or so posts on this thread. it is actually *better even than I thought*. It's Quality to please a Hansen.

I'm afraid, though, that now Cookie has explained the alleged - 'shift in meaning', I don't see much of a shift, let alone a ... totally different emotional perspective.

What, really, am I missing?

My favourite is "I Looked All Over Town", textual wranglings notwithstanding.

Yet, it has been in my silly head all day.

I've listened to this twice now. I wouldn't know, really, but to me it still sounds a bruised peach, whitecold and amazing... 'I Looked All Over Town' has made me choke up twice, and I don't do that - it's the space between the clown as an analogy and as a persona, that it's an awful cliche but even so... (and N is cunning about the sense shift, which is gorgeous gorgeous)

Oh, THIS is the other thread.

I found N's 'shift in meaning', when explained, to be not as convincing as I'd hoped.
It centres around 'looked all over town' = searched, roamed vs 'looked all over town' = viewed the entire town at once, from an aerial perspective, from the end of a balloon.

That was Cook.