Guardian Music — (Domino)Stephin Merritt can hardly feel aggrieved that critics are constantly rating Magnetic Fields albums against his 1999 magnum opus 69 Love Songs. As he told the Guardian recently, that was the whole point – to make an album so definitive that... more info

Topix — The Magnetic Fields' last three albums all eschewed the synthesizers that typified their sound in the '90s, but Fields main man Stephin Merritt makes up for it on Love at the Bottom of the Sea , where he deploys at least 10 albums' worth of synths in... more info

Guardian Music — Your chance to hear the new Magnetic Fields album a week ahead of releaseThe Magnetic Fields are back, with 15 short and sweet songs that all clock in under three minutes. It sees Stephin Merritt returning to synths after a trio of albums – i, Dist... more info

LargeHeartedBoy — At NPR, stream the new Magnetic Fields album, Love at the Bottom of the Sea (out March 6th). The Independent explores the industry of the near-instantly produced post-mortem biography. The death of Princess Diana in 1997 started this tawdry tradition... more info

DrownedInSound — Single of the Week! The Magnetic Fields - ‘Andrew In Drag’ (Domino) When there are bands in existence who can write lines like ‘I’d sign away my trust fund, I would even sell the jag / If I could spend my misspent youth, with Andrew in ... more info

Totally Fuzzy — If a prevailing concept runs through Love at the Bottom of the Sea, it's the rejection of grandiosity or self-importance. These 15 songs are slight by design, but there's a world of wit in their brevity. The Magnetic Fields' new album, ... more info

LargeHeartedBoy — Drowned in Sound interviews Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt. Stream the BBC documentary Haruki Murakami: In Search of his Elusive Writer. (via) The Globe and Mail profiles singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten. At 3:AM Magazine, Andrew Gallix i... more info

DrownedInSound — Incredibly, it has been twenty-one years since The Magnetic Fields emerged with their debut record Distant Plastic Trees. As the band return from their self-imposed electronica exile with new album Love at the Bottom of the Sea on March 5th, Drowned ... more info

Guardian Music — From Al Green to Yello, this is dedicated to the one you loveLove, like an elephant, is difficult to describe, but you know it when you see it. And it can be found in unexpected quarters. So asking you for Valentine's Day songs was "a big, baggy, per... more info

Guardian Music — Forget petrol station flowers and Milk Tray – this track is all you need to serenade your loved one on Valentine's DayAn email arrived yesterday: "Hello, we're a duo from south London and here's a song we think you might like." It was signed Raphae... more info