Stephin Merritt I love you

If anyone could change my sexual orientation, it would have to be this man with the annoyingly spelt name  above. Not due to his squat, diminutive frame and hangdog demeanour, but for his magical songwriting ability and wit. Headlining his long running band ,The Magnetic Fields, Merrit writes songs that in other hands would be fey and affected, but in his just sparkle, in a similar way to the songs of Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch.

 Merritt is a stonewall genius. Not content with being a multi instrumentalist and synth whizz, the guy just happens to write lyrics so good they make Morrissey seem illiterate. 

              This comparison is not wholly a facaetious one, as their styles are similar, both use irony and wit, and comical overstatement/ melodrama. Just think, "if a double dekker bus. crashes into us....." to name just one example. Their respective wit and humour is used to diguise, or make more palatable, the often maudlin subject matter, as above. They also share a lacerating tongue, and abrasive personality, just check Merritt out on George Lamb for proof.  However, despite being the lesser known artist, I think Merritt is better: I prefer his deadpan delivery, as in I Dont Want To Get Over You. Moreover, his tunes are just stronger and he pens them himself, without the aid of a Johnny Marr. Just check Yeah! Oh Yeah! out for a hilarious assessment of a relationship.

  Never has being depressed and self involved sounded so funny, eloquent and cool. Dont get me wrong, they write great "straight" love songs, too - pick any number from their career defining, 69 Love Songs lp (alright, not any number!). But, as with Morrissey they are perhaps best when the tongue is lodged firmly in the side of the cheek. 
    Anyway, enough of all my little words, just go out and buy or steal 69 Love Songs or Charm Of The Highway Strip.