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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Distortion
by Magnetic Fields
The latest album for the band led by singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt.
| LABEL: |
Nonesuch |
| RELEASE DATE: |
15 January 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rock, Indie |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
The Onion (A.V. Club)
The songs themselves are as lush and prickly as anything Merritt's ever made.
100
MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
He's made a novelty record that gets deeper with time.
91
Entertainment Weekly
The perfect antidote to a season of false cheer and frozen toes.
90
Delusions of Adequacy
This is a terrific album, one fully ready and suited for headphones; an album that should be easily enjoyed by all and that will surely be loved by many.
85
Lost At Sea
Distortion is really a triumph of the evening-out.
80
NOW Magazine
While the Jesus and Mary Chain might have been limited by their musical ability and knowledge, Merritt and company understand the pop principles they’re working with.
80
Billboard
The epitome of a melancholy winter record.
80
Drowned In Sound
Save the odd occasion where Merritt opts for smirking affect over emotional resonance, it all adds up to an excellent addition to an already distinguished back catalogue.
80
Dusted Magazine
The latest, the crustily erotic Distortion, is nearly its ["69 Love Songs"] equal. But way shorter.
80
New Musical Express
Distortion is above cynical reproach--effortlessly modern and definitively 2008, yet flitting with the ghosts of Shields, Madder Rose (ask your 90s alt.indie expert uncle) and The Jesus And Mary Chain.
80
Observer Music Monthly
A lovely addition to the noisy canon and a barbed new year tonic.
80
Pitchfork
Distortion isn't a return to form so much as a return to content.
80
PopMatters
Merritt does what he always does. He writes clever songs that are sweet and bitter, comforting and subversive.
80
Rolling Stone
It rocks, in this case a meaningful, temporary departure. Its unmelded sonic gestalt suits its thematic disquiet. It's Stephin Merritt's second-best album, which is saying a great deal.
80
Slant Magazine
Distortion gets a lot right.
80
Hot Press
The new record sees him pushing his songbook to extremes in entirely unexpected fashion.
80
Magnet
Whether Merritt's return to lo-fi will fly at Lincoln Center remains to be seen, but his melodic mastery is never in question. [Winter 2008, p.108]
80
Boston Globe
Distortion isn't an easy listen, with its strict, difficult palette. But it's an endlessly fascinating and provocative one.
80
Tiny Mix Tapes
Distortion does not reinvent the wheel of alternative rock, but it may have just started it spinning again.
80
Dot Music
It's that time of year when critics are desperate to anoint the first "great" record of the year. Distortion is too tricksy and knowing to be that, but it's a thoroughly entertaining also-ran nonetheless.
80
Mojo
It's faux-naif orch-pop that crashes and thunders. [Feb 2008, p.108]
80
No Ripcord
The fact is there are just too many smart, well-written songs on this album to get hung up on the messy sound.
75
Prefix Magazine
The lightness, even with the same downtrodden lyrics, comes from the upbeat arrangements that find their way through the slosh of feedback--an appropriate sound for lyrics that evoke the same feeling--sloshing through the everyday. Perhaps Merritt realizes that to be comically self-loathing or misanthropic is, perhaps, all a person can ask for.
73
Almost Cool
After multiple listens, there are certainly a batch of songs that rise like cream to the top, and while the release doesn't have seriously low points, it's not as solid throughout as the best work from the group (especially towards the end).
70
Blender
Every instrument here distorts, giving tearjerkers like 'I’ll Dream Alone' complementary grit.
70
All Music Guide
It's a double-sided hook that clears the murkiness from the remaining five tracks, while simultaneously improving the first half (especially tracks like 'California Girls' and 'Please Stop Dancing') when spun for a second or third time.
61
cokemachineglow
Despite its painfully obvious flaws, Distortion isn’t bad in the sense that it lacks gratifying melodies or does not possess a certain nostalgic charm.
60
Spin
Ultimately, the album succeeds despite the extra fuss, not because of it.
60
Uncut
He may be treading water a little until he really gets into his groove as the 21st century Sondheim, but Distortion at its best is beguiling and quietly devastating.
60
Q Magazine
There is plenty to enjoy, although it never comes close to recapturing the eclectic brillance of 1999's career high, "69 Love Songs. [Feb 2008, p.99]
60
musicOMH.com
Most of the songs have plenty to give in these spheres, so for fans this can be viewed as a qualified success, if never quite approaching previous highs.
40
The Guardian
When Distortion goes wrong, however, it dive-bombs.
30
Under The Radar
There are some entertaining songs here ('Drive On, Driver,' 'I’ll Dream Alone') but overall, there is scarcely an affective moment on Distortion. [Winter 2008, p.83]
The average user rating for this album is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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