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THE MAGNETIC FIELDS to play Cork Opera House on Sun 29 April

The Magnetic Fields

Cork Opera House

Sun 29 Apr, 8pm

April 2012 Cork Opera House is proud to throw open its doors to the critically acclaimed The Magnetic Fields on Sunday 29 April for one of the bands two Irish dates. Led by Stephin Merritt, The Magnetic Fields career now spans two decades and ten albums and promises to bring the very best of this career to the fore this April.

The Magnetic Fields may be a bona fide band, but in most essential respects they are the project of studio wunderkind Stephin Merritt, who writes, produces, and (generally) sings all of the material. Merritt also plays many of the instruments, concocting a sort of indie pop-synth rock. Adept at computer music programming and production, Merritt records his own albums and is joined on them by cellist Sam Davol, banjo player/second guitarist John Woo, and percussionist/pianist Claudia Gonson.

While the Magnetic Fields' albums draw upon the electronic textures of vintage acts like ABBA, Kraftwerk, Roxy Music with Eno, Joy Division, and Gary Numan, Merritt's vision is far more pointed toward the alternative rock underground. His songs are also far warmer and more purely pop-oriented than the above references indicate, sounding at times like late 20th century equivalents to the catalogs of Phil Spector or Brian Wilson. They are also renowned for Merritt's humorous yet bitter lyrics about love, as well as their synthesized instrumentation - although Realism, their most recent album, was billed by Merritt as 'my folk album'.

They have released six full-length CD's between 1993-1999, all on Merge Records. "The Charm of the Highway Strip" (1994) is an electro-country meditation on life on the open road. "Holiday (1994) has a more euro-pop sound, with songs about escape and nightlife. "Get Lost" (1995) has a mixture of styles and moods, including the intimate cabaret sound of "With Whom to Dance?"

In 1999, the Magnetic Fields released their 3-disc set, "69 Love Songs." The album has sold 130,000 copies worldwide, and has brought Merritt's music to the mainstream eye. In addition to Merritt's singing, "69 Love Songs" also features vocals by pianist Claudia Gonson, as well as three additional singers, LD Beghtol, Dudley Klute, and Shirley Simms. The album also included instrumental contributions of Future Bible Hero Chris Ewen, and novelist Daniel Handler on accordion.

In 2002, The Magnetic Fields signed a worldwide record deal with Nonesuch (Warner Brothers). Their first album for the label, "i," was released in May, 2004.

In 2010, Merritt and The Magnetic Fields were the subject of a documentary film Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields which made its debut at film festivals around the world, whilst collecting many awards in the process.

The most recent album - Realism in 2010 - was also well received by both critics and fans alike.

Sunday 29th April
Time: 8.00pm
Tickets: €29

Booking and information on www.corkoperahouse.ie and 021-4270022

Cork Opera House acknowledges the financial support of
The Arts Council; Cork City Council; Cork County Council

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