Most live scores I’ve seen by contemporary bands end up being ambient and atmospheric noise dumped on top of film. That can be great, but it’s rarely as memorable as The Magnetic Field’s front man Stephin Merritt singing “You can’t do that, I’m a Canadian citizen!” and deadpanning “This shoe is lined with lead” while working highly unusual, erratic, and oddly shaped electronics in the context of an epic underwater fantasy from the silent era.

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Even after songs like “I’m Sorry I Love You,” “Walk a Lonely Road” and “I Don’t Really Love You Anymore,” I came away from the Magnetic Fields performance at the Wilshire Ebell with a calming sense of serenity. Or perhaps it was just sleepiness. The show itself was pretty uneventful, but Stephin Merritt’s soothing baritone vocals could be extolling the virtues of flaying live puppies and I’d still walk away feeling good.

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Amelia Tabullo

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