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Alt-rock legend Magnetic Fields to play in Jersey City

by Jay Lustig
The Star-Ledger
Thursday October 16, 2008

The Magnetic Fields, with Shugo Tokumaru opening. Where: Loew's Jersey Theatre, 54 Journal Square, Jersey City. When: 8 p.m. Thursday. How much: $35. Call (201) 507-8900 or visit ticketmaster.com.

"California Girls," from the Magnetic Fields' January album "Distortion," shares a title with the 1965 Beach Boys' hit. But that's where the similarity ends. While Beach Boy Brian Wilson celebrated gorgeous bikini-clad girls, Magnetic Fields song writer Stephin Merritt complains about girls who are "tan and blond and 17" but "looking down their perfect noses at me and my kind."

Merritt, who is 42 and lives in both New York and Los Angeles, even has his own explanation for their behavior: "Eating nonfood keeps them mean." Instead of wishing, like Wilson, that all girls could be from California, he concludes: "I hate California girls."

The band, which performs at the Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City Thursday night, is one of many creative outlets for alt-pop eccentric Merritt. The Gothic Archies is a goth-bubblegum band, and Future Bible Heroes is more dance-oriented. The 6ths features vocals by a revolving cast of alt-rock stars, including Bob Mould (Husker Du), Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, Luna) and Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh).

Merritt also occasionally works in musical theater. "I like the emphasis on lyrics that inevitably accompanies musical theater, where everyone takes the lyrics seriously and the lyrics are the justification for the music, rather than the other way around," he says.

The Magnetic Fields has been Merritt's main artistic focus for the last 18 years. He sings in the group and plays keyboards and ukulele along with Claudia Gonson on piano, percussion and vocals, Sam Davol on cello and flute, and John Woo on banjo and guitar. Singer Shirley Simms, an occasional past collaborator, joined the band on "Distortion" and is featured on the current tour.

"She's on slightly more than half the album," Merritt says. "I recorded it first with just me singing and I thought, 'There's something missing. What is it? It's Shirley!' And it became a lot easier to hear the music, 'cause she's an octave higher."

The concept of "Distortion" is summed up by its title. Merritt's witty, melodic songs are surrounded by layers of heavily distorted instrumentation and feedback. Imagine Cole Porter as interpreted by The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Merritt didn't change his songwriting approach to accommodate the production.

"I think the whole album was written before deciding on the production style, and I decided to not rework anything about the writing so that the songs were subjected to an almost entirely inappropriate production style," he says. "Maybe only one song, 'Zombie Boy,' actually belongs with the production it gets."

Live, the band does not try to reproduce the sound of the album.

"We're essentially a folk group live," Merritt says. "We don't even have amplifiers on stage. We'll do songs from 'Distortion,' but we won't do them in the style of 'Distortion.' My only concession to 'Distortion' is that I'm playing a bouzouki instead of a ukulele."

A bouzouki, he explains, has eight metal strings instead of four nylon ones, so it has a raunchier sound.

"Distortion" is no blockbuster, but has risen higher on Billboard magazine's chart (No. 77) than any past Magnetic Fields album.

"I wasn't trying to make a commercial record," Merritt says. "It just sort of became one. It's all in one genre, and anyone can tell what that genre is, so it doesn't confuse the listener like my records usually do."

He's asked if he feels he has any kindred spirits in the current rock world.

"No, not in bands. Tom Waits, I suppose. Joni Mitchell. But as far as hot new bands and their great lyrics? I don't think that exists. The hot new band wouldn't be a hot new band if it had good lyrics."

Jay Lustig may be reached at jlustig@starledger.com or (973) 392-5850.