Holiday

The fourth Magnetic Fields album, in which Stephin Merritt perfects pop. After this, he had nowhere else to go but the sprawling, genre-bending masterpiece that is 69 Love Songs. While fans of that record may flinch at the cute synthpop on display here, they will be won over by Merritt’s instantly recognizable wit, which reached its maturity on songs like “Strange Powers” and “Take Ecstasy with Me.” Released in 1994 on Feel Good All Over Records.