#406 Magnetic Fields, '69 Love Songs' (1999)

An ambitious triple album by Stephin Merritt’s Magnetic Fields. This album is often cited as a major influence for a lot of singer-songwriters. I can see why; there are some excellent songs on the album. But the thing is that, in my opinion, Merritt’s commitment to write and record 69 songs was overly ambitious. It feels as if I’m meandering through a scrapbook of his mind. It’s filled with many different ideas and genres. Sketches for a great album.