The
Magnetic Fields' synth pop-saturated tenth studio album arrives after a trio of more guitar-oriented offerings (
I,
Distortion, and
Realism).
Love at the Bottom of the Sea feels like an amalgamation of
Stephin Merritt's epic
69 Love Songs and his excellent work under the
6ths moniker, especially on the giddy and typically infectious first single "Andrew in Drag."
Merritt can still work his subversive magic, as evidenced by the
Ian Curtis-lite "Born for Love," the aforementioned "Drag," and the typically deadpan closer "All She Care About Is Mariachi," the latter of which manages to rhyme "Hibachi" and "Liberace" with famed ad agency "Saatchi & Saatchi." ~ James Christopher Monger