Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields over the phone. Notorious for his hostility in interviews, Merritt was terse, baritone, and � to this interviewer — terrifying. Expansion of any sort seemed to be out of the question for the man; as far as I knew, he was worrying about a maximum word count. Which is not to say that the conversation was entirely useless, but that tangential insights, which often mark the highlights of interviews, were not practicable.

In the nearly five years since the Magnetic Fields� three-disc masterpiece, 69 Love Songs, Merritt has seemingly been everywhere but under the words �Magnetic Fields�. With his side projects, he�s delivered two full-length albums: the 6ths� Hyacinths and Thistles and Future Bible Heroes� Eternal Youth. On his own, he�s written original soundtracks for two independent films, Eban & Charley and Pieces of April, the latter containing four new Magnetic Fields tracks, contrary to my generalization.

Merritt says he hopes to continue composing scores in the near future, but more significantly, the Magnetic Fields� highly anticipated seventh album, i, arrives in stores this week. Asked about the title, the intentionally simplistic songwriter responds that it does not signify more personal lyrics, but merely reflects his tendency to begin song titles with the letter �i�. Apparently, he had written several songs beginning with the letter, so he just decided to continue the trend and organize the songs alphabetically. Any sense of cohesion on i is purely coincidental, since the songs were ordered by title, not sound. It seems like a cop-out from a more meaningful explanation, but it�s probably true.

Press releases note many differences in i�s sound — for instance, Merritt provides all the vocals for the first time in Magnetic Fields history — but there is no mistaking the Magnetic Fields. The songs, of course, are all about love, in the most self-deprecating sense of the word. They are also unmistakably �pop�; one must remember that Merritt, despite his affiliations with the indie crowd, aims for the charts. Asking Merritt his favorite song from his band�s new album only compounded this notion, as his response (�It�s Only Time�) came with the explanation that he thinks �it could be a big hit�.

As for my personal favorite, I�d go for �I Don�t Believe You�, a magnificent slice of pop replete with what can only be labeled Merrittisms: �So you quote love unquote me� or �So you�re brilliant, gorgeous, and ampersand after ampersand�. The song was written in 1998, but did not find a place on 69 Love Songs because Merritt, oddly enough, did not think of it as a love song back then (but does now). This is not the only song that could have found a place on 69 Love Songs, though, as most of i is composed of that album�s general atmosphere. With only brief reflection, this might appear impossible given the opus� obvious diversity, but long-time fans will note that few, if any, echoes from previous Magnetic Fields can be heard on i, making it an affair strictly tied to its direct predecessor.

At this point, I�ll close my discussion of i and leave further judgment for Stylus� official review. As a final word, though, I highly suggest attending The Magnetic Fields� upcoming concerts for those in their range, especially if Andrew Bird is opening. Last week�s Philadelphia show was well worth the price.