The Magnetic Fields have revealed plans for a new album called Quickies. It's out May 15 via Nonesuch.
As the title implies, the album comprises short songs that all clock in at under three minutes. The release will be spread across five vinyl EPs, though it will also be available as a single CD and as a digital stream.
Magnetic Fields leader Stephin Merritt explained that the idea for the album originated from reading a lot of short fiction — and writing in a small notebook.
"I've been reading a lot of very short fiction, and I enjoyed writing 101 Two-Letter Words, the poetry book about the shortest words you can use in Scrabble," Merritt said in a statement. "And I've been listening to a lot of French baroque harpsichord music. Harpsichord doesn't lend itself to languor. So I've been thinking about one instrument at a time, playing for about a minute or so and then stopping, and I've been thinking of narratives that are only a few lines long."
He added, "Also, I had been using a lot of small notebooks, so when I reach the bottom of the page, I've only gone a short way. Now that I'm working on a different album, I'm enforcing a large notebook rule so that I don't do Quickies twice in a row."
While we await news of an impending album called Longies, check out the tracklisting for Quickies below.
In addition to a Quickie about quickies ("Bathroom Quickie"), there are plenty of other imaginative short narratives like "The Biggest Tits in History," "Kraftwerk in a Blackout," "I've Got a Date with Jesus," "You've Got a Friend in Beelzebub" and "I Wish I Were a Prostitute Again."
The first song to arrive, though, is "The Day the Politicians Died." Stream that below, as well.
Quickies:
1. Castles of America
2. The Biggest Tits in History
3. The Day the Politicians Died
4. Castle Down a Dirt Road
5. Bathroom Quickie
6. My Stupid Boyfriend
7. Love Gone Wrong
8. Favorite Bar
9. Kill a Man a Week
10. Kraftwerk in a Blackout
11. When She Plays the Toy Piano
12. Death Pact (Let's Make A)
13. I've Got a Date with Jesus
14. Come, Life, Shaker Life!
15. (I Want to Join A) Biker Gang
16. Rock 'n' Roll Guy
17. You've Got a Friend in Beelzebub
18. Let's Get Drunk Again (And Get Divorced)
19. The Best Cup of Coffee in Tennessee
20. When the Brat Upstairs Got a Drum Kit
21. The Price You Pay
22. The Boy in the Corner
23. Song of the Ant
24. I Wish I Had Fangs and a Tail
25. Evil Rhythm
26. She Says Hello
27. The Little Robot Girl
28. I Wish I Were a Prostitute Again
As the title implies, the album comprises short songs that all clock in at under three minutes. The release will be spread across five vinyl EPs, though it will also be available as a single CD and as a digital stream.
Magnetic Fields leader Stephin Merritt explained that the idea for the album originated from reading a lot of short fiction — and writing in a small notebook.
"I've been reading a lot of very short fiction, and I enjoyed writing 101 Two-Letter Words, the poetry book about the shortest words you can use in Scrabble," Merritt said in a statement. "And I've been listening to a lot of French baroque harpsichord music. Harpsichord doesn't lend itself to languor. So I've been thinking about one instrument at a time, playing for about a minute or so and then stopping, and I've been thinking of narratives that are only a few lines long."
He added, "Also, I had been using a lot of small notebooks, so when I reach the bottom of the page, I've only gone a short way. Now that I'm working on a different album, I'm enforcing a large notebook rule so that I don't do Quickies twice in a row."
While we await news of an impending album called Longies, check out the tracklisting for Quickies below.
In addition to a Quickie about quickies ("Bathroom Quickie"), there are plenty of other imaginative short narratives like "The Biggest Tits in History," "Kraftwerk in a Blackout," "I've Got a Date with Jesus," "You've Got a Friend in Beelzebub" and "I Wish I Were a Prostitute Again."
The first song to arrive, though, is "The Day the Politicians Died." Stream that below, as well.
Quickies:
1. Castles of America
2. The Biggest Tits in History
3. The Day the Politicians Died
4. Castle Down a Dirt Road
5. Bathroom Quickie
6. My Stupid Boyfriend
7. Love Gone Wrong
8. Favorite Bar
9. Kill a Man a Week
10. Kraftwerk in a Blackout
11. When She Plays the Toy Piano
12. Death Pact (Let's Make A)
13. I've Got a Date with Jesus
14. Come, Life, Shaker Life!
15. (I Want to Join A) Biker Gang
16. Rock 'n' Roll Guy
17. You've Got a Friend in Beelzebub
18. Let's Get Drunk Again (And Get Divorced)
19. The Best Cup of Coffee in Tennessee
20. When the Brat Upstairs Got a Drum Kit
21. The Price You Pay
22. The Boy in the Corner
23. Song of the Ant
24. I Wish I Had Fangs and a Tail
25. Evil Rhythm
26. She Says Hello
27. The Little Robot Girl
28. I Wish I Were a Prostitute Again