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Stephin Merritt

Music

A Selection of Great Duets We’d Love to See

By Tom Hawking on

As we’ve written here in the past, the duet is an inexact science — some of the collaborations that you’d think should have been roaring successes proved to be disastrous, and vice versa. We’re still on the fence as to which group the new St. Vincent/David Byrne collaboration Love This Giant, which is out today, falls into — but either way, the fact that two of our favorite artists have made a whole record together got us thinking about other dream duets we’d love to see. We’ve started the discussion with a bunch of suggestions. Who would you like to see in the studio together? … Read More

Music

Stephin Merritt Is Very Good at Words With Friends

By Caroline Stanley on

Apparently Brooklyn writer Emma Straub (who we interviewed about her fantastic debut short story collection, Other People We Married, here) has been working for the Magnetic Fields for the past 10 years. We had no idea! The indie pop group’s Tour at the Bottom of the Sea kicked off earlier this month, and she’s… Read More

Music

The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt to Star in a Live Video Game

By Emily Temple on

We’ve been having warm and fuzzy feelings about Stephin Merritt ever since the Magnetic Fields’ ’90s revival track “Andrew in Drag” hit the internet, but turns out the oddball frontman just as keen on the future as he is on the past. In collaboration with D.I.Y. video arcade collective Babycastles, the Museum of… Read More

Music

10 New Albums You Need to Hear in August

By Tom Hawking on

Early in the week it was books, and today we’re looking at August’s album release schedule in search of the best new music to be had this month. And music lovers will be happy to know that August is shaping up to be a good ‘un — there’s a pretty impressive variety of genres that have noteworthy releases, from hip hop and brainy techno to blissed-out psychedelia and good old-fashioned indie pop. After the jump, we’ve selected the albums that we’re most looking forward to over the next four weeks. Let us know in the comments what’s going to be on your shopping list this month. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we looked at an interesting  selection of McDonald’s menu items around the world — like Singapore’s McRice burger. We read the first few lines from Jeffrey Eugenides’s next novel, The Marriage Plot, which is coming out in October. We watched a time-lapse video of a German… Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: Strange Powers

By Tanja M. Laden on

Strange Powers, a documentary which took directors Kerthy Fix and Gail O’Hara ten years to make, provides an intimate look at both Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields. While the focus is on Merritt’s relationship with longtime pal Claudia Gonson (Magnetic Fields manager and keyboardist), the film also chronicles his music-making process, with observations from well-known fans such as Peter Gabriel, Neil Gaiman, Carrie Brownstein, and Sarah Silverman. … Read More

Web

What's on at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we bid on tea for three with Stephin Merritt of Magnetic Fields to benefit our friends at WFMU. We had one of our favorite childhood books ruined forever. We were freaked out by how much this newly discovered bat looks like Yoda. We watched … Read More

Theatre

Neil Gaiman's Coraline Gets a Magnetic Fields Makeover

By Caroline Stanley on

Henry Selick’s Coraline, the not really for kids kid’s movie based on Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel of the same name, didn’t break any box office records (it only made $74m), but before the film was released plans to stage a musical adaptation of the tale were already in the works. And this morning we found out that it will feature music and lyrics from Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields. … Read More