Love at the Bottom of the Sea

After a trilogy of self-imposed isolation from the world of synthesizers, The Magnetic Fields roared back with Love At The Bottom of The Sea, whose only concept is to deliver as much as possible per song under three minutes. And deliver they do; the opening triptych includes the Joy Division vibes of “God Wants Us To Wait,” the huge, undeniable chorus of “Andrew In Drag,” and the nasty “Your Girlfriend’s Face.” Throughout the record drums pound, ukuleles shimmer, and insults and come-ons are delivered with the same level of candor and wit from Stephin Merritt that we’ve come to love. Hilarious, sad, and illegally catchy, by the time we get to the penultimate gem “Quick!” it’s hard to believe that so little time has passed. Better spin it again just to be safe.