The Magnetic Fields, “All My Little Words”
The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel Les Champs Magnétiques) is an American indie pop group founded and led by Stephin Merritt. He is the group’s primary songwriter, producer and vocalist, as well as frequent multi-instrumentalist. While the musical style of the band is as malleable as Merritt’s songwriting, its songs are commonly attributed to pop genres such as synthpop, indie pop, and noise pop. The band is often cited as being recognizable by Merritt’s lyrics, often about love and often with irregular or neutral gender roles, that are by turns ironic, tongue-in-cheek, bitter, and humorous.
Known in music circles as a “gay synth-pop” group, The Magnetic Fields consist of four core members: one gay male artist (Merritt), one lesbian (Claudia Gonson), and two straight males (Sam Davol and John Woo).