Partygoing

Future Bible Heroes were once one of several lo-fi projects run by Stephin Merritt, who claimed The Magnetic Fields as his official day job. However, "lo-fi" means less and less in an age of digital wizardry and home studios, and his other bands The 6ths and The Gothic Archies all adhere closely to the same stylistic tics. Future Bible Heroes rely more on synthesizers and electronic rhythms, with the Fields' Claudia Gonson handling a greater share of the vocals. Merritt writes these songs with knowing winks and/or glares, incorporating the more banal aspects of Brill Building–inspired techniques into songs that tell a mix of stories ranging from standard heartbreak, like "Sadder Than the Moon," to opiate-assisted suicide, as on "Let's Go to Sleep (And Never Come Back)." By writing songs with such alluring titles as "Keep Your Children in a Coma," "Love Is a Luxury I Can No Longer Afford," and "Satan, Your Way Is a Hard One," Merritt challenges Morrissey (and Momus) for the most outlandish songwriting of recent vintage.