Genre-spanning Massachusetts group The Magnetic Fields have announced their latest album, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, set for release in March of 2012. The group will also embark on North American tour, including a stop at the SXSW Music Showcase in Austin, Texas.
Love at the Bottom of the Sea will be the group’s tenth full-length studio album, and the first since release on the Merge label since 1999’s acclaimed 69 Love Songs. Their forthcoming album also signals return to the synth-pop sound that characterized past albums like The Charm of the Highway Strip and Get Lost.
In spite of the throwback to previous work, the synth sounds have received a major technological update. “Most of the synthesizers on the record didn’t exist when we were last using synthesizers,” says group leader Stephin Merritt.
Singer/songwriter Merritt is joined by the usual Magnetic Fields entourage, Claudia Gonson, Samuel Davol, John Woo, Shirley Simms, Johnny Blood and Daniel Handler.
Pre-orders for Love at the Bottom of the Sea are now available via the Merge store for exclusive limited-edition eggshell-colored vinyl. Act fast for freebies: the first 100 people to order the album from Merge on CD or LP will also receive free signed poster and a Magnetic Fields button. And, for a discount, use the Merge Holiday Code, and check out The House of Tomorrow for ticketing information on their forthcoming tour.
Love at the Bottom of the Sea’s tracklist is as follows:
1. God Wants Us to Wait
2. Andrew in Drag
3. Your Girlfriend’s Face
4. Born For Love
5. I’d Go Anywhere with Hugh
6. Infatuation (With Your Gyration)
7. The Only Boy in Town
8. The Machine in Your Hand
9. Goin’ Back to the Country
10. I’ve Run Away to Join the Fairies
11. The Horrible Party
12. My Husband’s Pied-a-Terre
13. I Don’t Like Your Tone
14. Quick!
15. All She Cares About Is Mariachi
The Magnetic Fields’ tour dates are as follows:
3/6 — Hudson, NY — Helsinki Hudson
3/7 — Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer
3/8 — New York , NY — Barnes and Noble
3/11 — Minehead, UK — All Tomorrow’s Parties
3/14, 15, 16 — Austin, TX — SXSW
3/18 — Vancouver, BC — The Vogue
3/19 — Seattle, WA — Neptune Theater
3/20 — Seattle, WA — Neptune Theater
3/21 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theater
3/23 — Los Angeles, CA — Orpheum Theater
3/24 — Oakland, CA — Fox Theater
3/26 — Chicago, IL — Vic Theater
3/27 — Chicago, IL — Vic Theater
3/28 — Iowa City, IA — Englert Theater
3/30 — Toronto, ON — Sound Academy
3/31 — Montreal, QC — Le National
4/3 — New York, NY — Beacon Theater
4/4 — New York, NY — Beacon Theater
4/6 — Boston, MA — Berklee Performance Center
4/7 — Boston, MA — Berklee Performance Center
4/9 — Washington, DC — 9:30 Club
4/11 — Carrboro, NC — Cat’s Cradle
4/12 — Carrboro, NC — Cat’s Cradle
4/13 — Atlanta, GA — Variety Playhouse
4/24 — Brighton, UK — Komedia
4/25 — London, UK — Royal Festival Hall
4/27 — Manchester, UK — RNCM
4/28 — Dublin, IR — Olympia
4/29 — Cork, IR — Opera House
5/1 — Porto, PT — Casa da Musica
5/2 — Lisbon, PT — Teatro Maria Matos
5/4 — Murcia, ES — Estrella Levante SOS 4.8
5/6 — Barcelona, ES — Sala Apolo
5/7 — Madrid, ES — Teatro Rialto
5/9 — Oslo, NO — Rockefeller
5/11 — Gothenburg, SE — Annedalskyrkan
5/12 — Stockholm, SE — Filadelfiakyrkan
5/14 — Berlin, DE — Passionskirche
5/15 — Hamburg, DE — Kampnagel k6
5/16 — Amsterdam, NL — De Duif
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