HomeThe Magnetic FieldsRealism
Realism
Pop · 2010 · 13 tracks · 33m

Realism

A strictly acoustic collection of folk-pop vignettes. Wry, theatrical, and devoid of synthesizers, it finds beauty in the dry humor of heartbreak.

Find on Amazon

It's like a folk record made by someone who hates the outdoors but loves a good rhyme scheme.

A meticulously crafted collection of acoustic vignettes that balances intellectual wit with a quiet, persistent melancholy.

Realism · vs · The Magnetic Fields
Stripped Back+3.1σ

The production is built around stripped back than this artist usually allows.

Tracklist · 13 Tracks · 33m
01
You Must Be out of Your Mind
3:14
02
Interlude
2:13
03
We Are Having a Hootenanny
2:11
04
I Don’t Know What to Say
2:33
05
The Dolls’ Tea Party
2:19
06
Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree
2:25
07
Walk a Lonely Road
3:06
08
Always Already Gone
2:42
09
Seduced and Abandoned
2:23
10
Better Things
2:33
11
Painted Flower
2:13
12
The Dada Polka
2:25
13
From a Sinking Boat
3:27
Moments Worth Waiting For
The jarringly cheerful group vocals on 'We Are Having a Hootenanny' contrasting with the album's underlying gloom.
The delicate, almost fragile interplay between the cello and Stephin Merritt's deep baritone on 'You Must Be out of Your Mind'.
The sudden, crashing waves of sound that disrupt the otherwise polite folk structure during 'From a Sinking Boat'.
Sits BesideSee all
I Know What Love Isn’t
I Know What Love Isn’t
Jens Lekman
2012

Shares chamber pop, indie pop, acoustic folk (subgenres); stripped_back, analog_warmth, minimalist (production style)

Snails
Snails
The Format
2005

Shares stripped_back, analog_warmth, minimalist (production style); chamber pop, indie pop, acoustic folk (subgenres)

Charm School
Charm School
Bishop Allen
2003

Shares chamber pop, indie pop, acoustic folk (subgenres); playful, bittersweet, wistful (moods)

TS
The Sash My Father Wore and Other Stories
ballboy
2003

Shares chamber pop, indie pop, acoustic folk (subgenres); playful, bittersweet, wistful (moods)

Harmony
Harmony
Never Shout Never
2010

Shares chamber pop, indie pop, acoustic folk (subgenres); stripped_back, analog_warmth, minimalist (production style)

Cherry Peel
Cherry Peel
of Montreal
1997

Shares indie pop, chamber pop, acoustic folk (subgenres); playful, bittersweet, wistful (moods)

Aldhils Arboretum
Aldhils Arboretum
of Montreal
2002

Shares playful, bittersweet, wistful (moods); indie pop, chamber pop (subgenres)

If You’re Feeling Sinister
If You’re Feeling Sinister
Belle and Sebastian
1996

Shares chamber pop, indie pop, baroque pop (subgenres); stripped_back, analog_warmth, minimalist (production style)

luck… or something
luck… or something
Hilary Duff
2026

Shares stripped_back, analog_warmth, minimalist (production style); chamber pop, indie pop, baroque pop (subgenres)

Girls and Boys
Girls and Boys
Ingrid Michaelson
2006

Shares indie pop, acoustic folk, chamber pop (subgenres); stripped_back, analog_warmth, dry_intimate (production style)

Reviews
BBC Music
Read review
The Guardian
Read review
The Independent
Read review
Pitchfork
Read review
Drowned in Sound
Read review
AllMusic
Read review

Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →