This album was initially released by the elusive Feel Good All
Over records, but it's been AWOL for a couple years, which makes this
swanky reissue quite welcome.
Holiday's songs are united by the twin
topics of love and travel, and come wrapped in glittering, bouncy
arrangements suited to both themes. Merritt often accompanies himself in
concert with just a guitar, but he's an accomplished multi-instrumentalist
whose home studio confections favor a glossy electronic sheen reminiscent
of early 80s technopop.
My own dalliance with that genre ended before many
Ink Blot readers were born, but Holiday endures because of Merritt's skill
as a song writer. His lyrics are like scripts to movies from a Hollywood in
some alternate universe where all the men are gay, all the women dress with
glamorous bad taste, and love is as hopeless as it is enticing. Every
silver cloud has a dark lining, but every tragedy is savored because it
makes life more interesting - just like the songs on Holiday.
If you like Magnetic Fields, check out:
Magnetic Fields The House Of Tomorrow
The Bats Daddy's Highway
The Chills Submarine Bells
Pet Shop Boys Behaviour
