We’re going to review some records again. Records we think we all should care about whether they’re good or bad. Cool? Cool.

all words: Andy Hess

For the readers: I have an unhealthy obsession with the perfect pop song (read: Since U Been Gone, You Belong To Me — apparently my ears want me to be a teenage girl), understated guitar albums and I could not live without Weezer — well, maybe post-Pinkerton Weezer — or The Hold Steady.

Rating system
0 stars – Complete and utter garbage
1 star – Best just not to ever press play, save your ears for another day
2 stars – Not completely atrocious, but one you’ll probably forget about as soon as it’s over
3 stars – Good, but not great, likely with some excellent songs and others you’ll skip right through
4 stars – Damn good album, one you’ll definitely want to enjoy again and again
5 stars – Instant Classic

4  out of 5 stars | Stream | Buy Realism [Nonesuch; 2010]

Hey guess what?

Life sucks and The Magnetic Fields still write great pop songs. These are the two biggest things you learn when listening to Realism, the follow up to 2008’s aptly named Distortion.

Musically, Realism sounds like music for children until you actually start listening to what Merritt and his friends are singing. Most of the songs revolve around the lost, lonely people, narcissists, and learning hard truths.

Longtime fans of Merritt should be glad to know this album sounds like your Magnetic Fields’ records of old — with tongue in cheek lyrics and a smattering of acoustic instruments and horns. As always, Merritt tends to favor variety and this record is no different in this self-proclaimed “folk” record. One song you’ll get a camp variety show song about “twittering around” and taking “our personality quiz” (”We Are Having A Hootenanny”) and the next a holiday number (”Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree”). But Merritt is at his best when he’s being an ass. “I no longer drink enough to think you’re witty,” he sings on the opening cut “You Must Be Out of Your Mind”.

In the end it’s just another 30 minutes of A-grade, alcohol fueled angst. Real talk.