Search - The Magnetic Fields :: Get Lost

Perfect

Tyler Quagmire | Rochester, New York, USA | 09/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It really is a pity that such a great album is over looked by more popular albums such as 69 Love Songs and various other Magnetic Field CDs. The thing is that a nasty rumor shot around the world that this album was their worst one ever. I don't really think that's true. In truth, I think it's one of their best. Get Lost is a mix of electrical pop, techno and rock songs all of which are pure Magnetic Field music. This album concentrates more around fast, quick moving songs with an extremely high catchy level.



"Famous" is a classical rock song, and it's extremely catchy. Though the lyrics aren't as emotional or as romantic as others, they're just as good. "The Desperate Things You Made Me Do" is, in my opinion, the best song on the album. It's a techno song that deals with being angry at a loved one who broke hearts and such.



"Smoke And Mirrors" was a haunting pop song, giving off an eerie effect. "With Whom To Dance?"- The smooth, refreshing electrical sound of soft electrical insturments with a ukulele involved. Beautiful song. "You And Me And The Moon" is an electrical pop song. It's loud, fast music is very hypnotic, and would be the perfect song to sing for your new boyfriend/girlfriend on your first date.



"Don't Look Away" is a dark, creepy sound similar to "Smoke And Mirrors", but a heck of a lot better. And I love "Save A Secret For The Moon". It has a very odd sound, and is, like "You And Me And The Moon", very hypnotic, but less electrical and a tad bit slower. "Why I Cry" is another one of my favorite songs by them. It's a slow, electrical indie rock song that has weeping lyrics. "Love Is Lighter Than Air" is very similar to "You And Me And The Moon". If there had to be one song on Get Lost that would represent it, this one would be it. Stephin Merritt sings relatively fast in this song.



"When You're Old And Lonely"- with its thick guitar sound- takes a break from all the running and jumping that the other songs on Get Lost offer. "The Village In The Morning" was a very good song, very fast, and it had a bit of a techno-sound to it like "The Desperate Things You Made Me Do".



"All The Umbrellas In London" is another one of my favorite songs by them. I adore the lyrics in this song. They're both creative and amusing. Also very techno-sih. "The Dreaming Moon" is probably the perfect way to end such an energetic album. Following easily in the footsteps of "100,000 Fireflies", "The Dreaming Moon" offers an ingenius set of lyrics mixed in with a lot of synths.



Get Lost was certainly something to thrill over. While not as hypnotic as Holiday, nor as theme-following as The Charm Of The Highway Strip, it truly is a wonderful album."

Don't Lose This One

K. Kelly | Massachusetts | 02/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From experience, many fans of the Magnetic Fields would argue that this is one of their weaker albums. On the other hand, I'd be tempted to say this is one of their best albums. Stephin Merritt sings all the songs on this one, which is much to my pleasing. All of my favorite Magnetic Fields' songs (save for 100,000 Fireflies) are those that he sang, as opposed to Susan Anway. His deep voice matches the lyrics perfectly, especially those with upbeat tunes yet depressing lyrics. On the other hand, though, it makes singing along with the songs very hard for those of us lacking in ability to hit the lower notes. But we can try anyway...Personal favorites of mine are the weepy 'Why I Cry', 'All the Umbrellas in London', 'Desperate Things You Made Me Do', and 'Don't Look Away'. 'Desperate Things You Made Me Do' sounds distinctly electronic, verging on techno as opposed to electro-pop, and both the music and the lyrics are fantastic. 'All the Umbrellas in London' is the first Magnetic Fields song I ever listened to, and is what got me hooked on them. It's lyrics are great (as are pretty much every Magnetic Fields' song's lyrics) and the the backgroudn music is very good. Unlike a lot of their depressing songs, it doesn't have upbeat background music, thouh. 'Don't Look Away' has this experimental sound, even though it probably uses the least synthesizers on the album. I'd also say it's safe to say it's the slowest song on the album. And, as I said before, 'Why I Cry' is rather weepy, but not to the point of annoyance. So, until the new Magnetic Fields album comes out in May, this darling is gonna sit in my CD player playing on a constant loop."

Extraordinary, like Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgre

Ludwig J. Pluralist | Beacon, NY USA | 05/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Magnetic Field's Stephin Merritt reminds me of some other extremely gifted pop producers, or composer/producer/musicians, who gift us with their own musical visions, and have the skills to enter a recording studio and deliver this vision which can then be shared with the listener. Other such music geniuses, individuals such as the legendary Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and Todd Rundgren, the eclectic Brian Eno, and the indie cult performer East Village Pipe all come to mind. All of these men share in common an ability to create music that is so breathtakingly beautiful that it can induce tears of joy in the listener. It also seems to be the case that nearly all of these individuals share in common a history of struggling with some inner demon, or personal pathology. In the case of Wilson and East River Pipe, drugs and psychosis; and in the case of the artist responsible for this fine record, a sense of loneliness and lingering depression. It is clear that while Stephin Merritt appreciates love as an ideal state, as an elusive state of mind, he also finds it very hard to manage. The fact of Merritt's being gay is both incidental, as well as essential (in the sense of it pointing him toward certain types of musical and lyrical sensibilities from the past); hence, there are various dualisms to Stephin Merritt.



This - along with a Wasp's Nest by one of Merritt's other bands, the 6ths - are my favorites of his records. I acknowledge the greatness of his later concept albums, the Johnny Cash meets Depeche Mode brilliance of Charm of the Highway Strip, and I greatly enjoy some of the Magnetic Fields' earlier works. But here, Merritt's deep baritone, his gentle, subtle arrangements, and the sheer beauty of his songs, gives me nothing but satisfaction. And I wonder, has there ever been a love anthem as fantastic as Love Is Lighter Than Air? Why it was not a hit, I'll never know."