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Review: 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields is an audacious feat that toes the line between brilliance and sheer audacity. Clocking in at three hours, this magnum opus is a sprawling exploration of love in all its forms. Stephin Merritt and his collaborators craft a diverse sonic landscape, ranging from giddy lust to resignation and despair, and from genre exercises to archetypal Magnetic Fields songs. The album's sheer scale may initially seem daunting, but Merritt's exceptional songwriting and the band's eclectic instrumentation ensure that each track holds its own. The individual songs offermany moments of small epiphanies and emotional resonance. 25 years since it was first released, 69 Love Songs continues to gain new fans and make original ones keep coming back.