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The Charm of the Highway Strip
Pop · 1994 · 10 tracks

The Charm of the Highway Strip

The Magnetic Fields

A synth-pop travelogue through the American landscape. Deadpan baritone vocals meet cheap drum machines and lonely cellos for a uniquely synthetic take on Americana.

April 18, 1994 · Merge Records

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A lonely, rhythmic transit through a landscape that feels both vast and entirely artificial.

Tracklist · 10 Tracks
01
Lonely Highway
3:06
02
Long Vermont Roads
3:27
03
Born on a Train
3:46
04
I Have the Moon
2:37
05
Two Characters in Search of a Country Song
3:33
06
Crowd of Drifters
3:36
07
Fear of Trains
3:14
08
When the Open Road Is Closing In
3:39
09
Sunset City
4:05
10
Dust Bowl
2:20
Moments Worth Listening For
The hypnotic, mechanical chug of the drum machine on 'Born on a Train' mimicking the rhythm of tracks.
The sudden, stark intimacy of the cello lines that anchor the otherwise synthetic landscape of 'Long Vermont Roads'.
The way Stephin Merritt's deep baritone drops into a near-whisper during the final verse of 'Dust Bowl'.
Reviews
Pitchfork
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AllMusic
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does The Charm of the Highway Strip sound next to the rest of The Magnetic Fields's catalogue?

Road Trip+4.0σ

Road Trip saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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