Distant Plastic Trees, originally released in 1991, is The Magnetic Fields’debut album. A year later, the band released The Wayward Bus, and the two early LPs brought forth comparisons that likened the group’s principal singer/songwriter/producer, Stephin Merritt, to Morrissey. To quote the band’s accordion player and novelist Daniel Handler: “this tinny and intimate recording, in quiet defiance of the reigning roar of pop music, recalls both the early, scratchy field recordings of folk music and the first experiments in electronic musicprecisely the sort of stylistic balance the Magnetic Fields liked to achieve.” When the world was immersed in grunge, Merritt and gang took a varied approach to sound, and that decision ultimately resulted in a product that has stood the test of time well: check out “Summer Lies,” “Josephine,” “100,000 Fireflies,” “Candy,” and “Dancing In Your Eyes.” It’s also important to point out that both albums feature singer Susan Anway, and the artworks are courtesy of watercolorist Wendy Smith. The tracks also have been remastered, and this is the first time the two albums are pressed on vinyl.

• first time on vinyl
• remastered
• music label: Merge Records 2016

reviewed by buffalo fingers 01/2017

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