Now I'm crazy for you, but not that crazy

I've really enjoyed the last couple days. I've been immersed in 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields (per Declan's request) and it's a lot of fun. 69 Love Songs was released as a 3 CD set on September 7, 1999 but I don't remember hearing anything about it until Josh mentioned it sometime in 2003. I ignored him. Then, I learned they had the CD's at the library so I really only discovered this album a few months ago.

There are tons of great things about this collection, so I'll mention just a few. Overall, it does have a low-fi indie feel to it but everything sounds different enough to keep it interesting. It seems like just about every musical genre is represented. Some of the songs seem unfinished but I was most surprised by how good so many of the songs really are. It seems like there would have to be some sort of quantity versus quality tradeoff. I'd say only 10% of the songs are complete throwaways, though.

Finally, I'm impressed by the scope of love represented by the songs on the album. There are songs about one night stands, lust from afar, growing old together and the classic lost love. There are also a lot of songs about dancing which is really very sweet.

When it was all done, I felt like I had a little more insight on the human condition. Like I'd been on a journey and learned something along the way. What more could you want from an album?

Here are ten of my favorite songs from 69 Love Songs (in no particular order):
"Kiss Me Like You Mean It"
"Washington, D.C."
"I Think I Need A New Heart"
"Underwear"
"Love Is Like A Bottle Of Gin"
"I'm Sorry I Love You"
"When My Boy Walks Down The Street"
"Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long"
"Nothing Matters When We're Dancing"
"Acoustic Guitar"