2B - Thursday, February 21, 2008 4 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com REDUCTIVE REASONING Picking one And one Anart D THE MAGNETIC FIELDS:'69 LOVE SONGS'(1999) The Duily Arts guide to upcoming events Today 2.21.08 Playing Piano in Early 20th Someone Century IstanbulS 7:30 p.m. elses K At the School of Social Work Building, words room1636 Free Mary Jo Firth Gillett 7 p.m. At Shaman Drum Free Change Tomorrow 2.22.08 Jef Brannan 8 and 10:30 p.m. At the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase $10 RFD Boys 8 p.m. 'Rea Sex h At the Ark $10 w/student ID Saturday 2.23.08 Tierney Sutton 8 p.m. At the Firefly Club $20 Sunday 2.24.08 The RagbirdsM 7:30 p.m. At the Arke $10 w/student ID Please send all press releases and event information to artspage@michigandaily.com. A A JS Love songs for the ages By SASHA RESENDE Merritt allows his poetically simple delicately declares "He's going to be DailyArts Writer verses to drive the song. Despite its my wife." These subtle switches add cutting sarcasm, the ode to Prozac depth to the album, allowing the lis- Hope Too many indie-rock bands these and meaningless one-night stands is tener to interpret the lyrics in what- days try to create the perfect concept one of the most painfully honest cuts ever way suits his own life. album, often with underwhelming from the collection. In an oft-cited I could continue for another 5,000 results. Based on this assumption, the verse, Merritt laments, "I can make words, pointing every bit of lyrical indie-pop troupe Magnetic Fields's a career of being blue / I can dress in genius within 69 Love Songs. But that 1999 release 69 Love Songs should black and read Camus / Smoke clove would take away from the sheer joy have been a gigantic flop - complete cigarettes and drink vermouth/Like I to be found through repeated listens. with a tackily ironic title. The three- was seventeen, that would be a scream These packed bits of artful lyrical rep- volume attempt at conceptual perfec- / But I don't want to get over you." resentation guarantee that the record tion is as literal as its title suggests. People who've ever had their hearts will never become a bore. Nonethe- Over the course of three discs, the ripped from their chests can relate to less, sarcasm and wit can only take an album addresses any and every aspect Merritt's direct hopelessness. album so far. 69 Love Songs would not of lamour. Despite the ambitious The album's remaining 67 songs are be the masterpiece that it is without nature of their endeavor, Magnetic an English major's dream, complete its widespread variation and experi- Fields triumphantly deliver what is with symbolic metaphors and unpre- mentation. arguably the best conceptual studio tentious word play. Merritt, who's Hiding under the wide label of indie box set of the 1990s. Over the course openly gay, often plays with gender pop, Magnetic Fields explore an eclec- of 69 varied and diverse love songs, roles in the lyrics of his songs. This tic grouping of genres, directed by the band develops a mass of tracks Merritt's heavily distinguished bass Late-night El that explore the heart's innermost vocals. The album alternates between struggles. quirky yet poppy tunes ("Long-For- commercias , Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin This album had gotten Fairytale"), accordion-driven Merritt has been called one ofthe most cuts ("Zebra"), folksy lullabies ("The depressed men in rock, and a cyni- every opportunty One You Really Love"), synthesizer- cal listen to 69 Love Songs confirms heavytouchstones ("I Can'tTouchYou this proclamation. This shouldn't be to suck, but Anymore"), uncontrolled brassy beats a deterrent - Merritt's music is far ("Love Is Like Jazz") and impassioned removed from the commercialized Somehow, it worked ballads about long-distance romance emo-rockers who wear their hearts ("Washington D.C."). The opener, on their sleeves. Rather than shy away "Absolutely Cuckoo," is mixtape para- from overly embellished references to dise. Concise and to the point, the lo-fi the album's subject matter, the lyrics is especially pronounced on "Under- song delivers rapid guitar strums over on 69 Love Songs are often abrasively wear," in which Merritt switches warped distortion as Merritt quickly sarcastic, establishing the record's between calling his subject a "pretty counts all the reasons why his new emotional backbone. His music is girl" and a "pretty boy." The word lover should leave him before it's too shockingly self-deprecating at times, play is very nuanced and it takes a few late. Even the 30-second cuts of album but these moments add humanity to repeated listens to catch the subtle filler are packed with intelligent sar- his folksy strings and synth-driven switch-off. A similar mix-up can be casm. On the track "Roses" - which beats. heard on "When My Boy Walks Down is barely half a minute long - Merritt On "I Don't Want To Get Over You," The Street," in which a male vocalist orders his listeners to "buy more stock in roses," an obvious reference to the rampant commercialization Freshmen and Sophomores, are youlooking for a summer internship? of romance. Would you like to takea step towards bolstering your resume? Stephin Merritt certainly Do you wan to work with the coolest people on campus? isn't the first lyricist to highlight romance's underbelly. But that shouldn't diminish his own foray into the overused theme. Rarely has a group undertaken such an ambitious project and met - and NS exceeded - expectations like he ~NTER rER did. On 69 Love Songs, Merritt SUM F L 004D and company manage to reduce SpawG, Eall of love's complexities andinad- equacies into a triple-disc volume while greatly expanding their The Michii A n Dail Business StRafe f Deartment is n own musical horizons. ben loin The Michigan DciilY Busine ss Staij as an Account Executivel e W-Itb otber work s,6e-bY-518 stu6ents to se l the newspaper j know ana ove wea student run group that sells all the ads in the Daily. We are looking for dedicated and motivated people to continue the legacy that has been going on for over 118 years. Simply send e-mail to dailydisplay@gmailcom, call (734) 764-0554, or stop in at the Daily building (420 Maynard) to pick upan applicationl DON'T MISS OUT ON TRADITION! LIKE VENN DIAGRAMS? Work for Daily Arts. E-mail gaerig@michigandaily.com for an application. .0 20 b fFOREST WHITAKER A Film by Jim Jarmusch GHOST DOG THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI ST EBAYOF3TE@SMURIH FO OEIF II YPAECMSAEHARA .0. 0 .0. . . . . . stop by south u. and see why Jump on the opportunity to see the world from a unique perspective If you're curious and adventurous then pack your bags and say goodbye to the status quo. Study abroad to earn college credit, experience a different culture, learn a foreign language, discover who you are and much more. USAC, your gateway to the world T HE OR 512 E. William LIMITED TI For Our Frier CUSTOMER AP Lunch] M-F 11 $2 OFF our L With BeveraE Just Present Yoi Offer Expires: 2/29/2008 1 N A L (734) 663-3379 ME OFFER nds at The U PRECIATION Buffet -2pm ;6.95 unch Buffet ge Included ur U of M I.D. Ll S,7 C 01