The Magnetic Fields recently complete a sold-out, five-night stint at London's Cadogan Hall to which The Independent gave a perfect five stars. The concert experience was "a mixture of pocket symphonies, jeux d'esprit and mini-dramas that tackled age-old themes of love, loss and the everyday with bite and freshness," writes The Independent's Simon O'Hagan. "Cole Porter is a clear antecedent, as is Tom Lehrer, and the music and lyrics could have come out of nowhere but New York." To read the complete concert review, visit independent.co.uk.

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NME asserts that with the London concerts, the group "proved themselves the greatest band in operation today without even breaking a sweat." NME's Mark Beaumont writes:

In a time when so much credit is given to tune-free bands with the capacity to rock like priapic bull elephants, as if energy directly related to enjoyment, it's timely and refreshing to watch a band so effortlessly reign supreme on the back of faultless, inspired songwriting talent alone.

Read the review at nme.com.
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Metro UK credits Merritt's songwriting as well, and adds high praise for all the band members too:

[I]t was the unfailing gorgeousness of Gonson and Shirley Simms' harmonising, the effortlessly skilled piano, string and guitar arrangements, and the Greenwich village cool that underpins their post modern vibe of yearning and broken hearts in songs such as "Come Back from San Francisco" that really reminded you anew of Merritt's song writing brilliance.

You'll find the complete review at metro.co.uk.
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Since returning Stateside, the band has announced a US tour for the fall that begins in Minneapolis on October 10 and ends two weeks later at DC's Lisner Auditorium. Click here for complete tour information.