The Magnetic Fields, maestros of sardonic indie synth-pop since 1990, plan to tour the U.S. this fall on the heels of successful European and North American tours earlier this year. The dates will bring the group to a number of midwestern and southern locations that the band missed on their spring jaunt across the U.S. The tour will kick off October 10 in the almighty city of Minneapolis and will come to a close in our nation’s markedly less almighty capital a little over two weeks later.

The band’s third tour in 2008 comes on the heels of the critically successful LP Distortion (TMT Review), which saw them junking both the synth sounds of their ’90s records and the spare instrumentation of 2004’s i. Opting instead "to sound more like the Jesus and Mary Chain than the Jesus and Mary Chain," Fields frontman Stephin Merritt draped his meticulous pop masterpieces in snarling guitar feedback, hence the album title. Because this sound is difficult to duplicate on stage, and possibly due to Merritt’s well-documented hearing problems, the singer has said that the songs will be performed "completely differently" live.

While the tradition of lengthy gaps between Magnetic Fields albums makes a new release unlikely anytime soon, Merritt will, as always, find a way to stay busy. According to The Magnetic Fields’ official website, Merritt is writing the score and songs for next spring’s Off Broadway theatrical adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.

Pre-sale tickets for The Magnetic Fields’ fall tour are available now. Regular advance tickets will go on sale at the end of this week.

10.10.08 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre 10.11.08 - Madison, WI - Capitol Theater 10.13.08 - Dallas, TX - The Majestic 10.14.08 - Austin, TX - The Paramount Theater 10.15.08 - Boulder, CO - The Boulder Theater 10.17.08 - Atlanta, GA - Symphony Hall 10.18.08 - Raleigh, NC - Meymandi Concert Hall 10.23.08 - Jersey City, NJ - Loews Jersey Theatre 10.24.08 - Columbus, OH - The Southern Theatre 10.25.08 - Philadelphia, PA - The Merriam Theater 10.26.08 - Washington, DC - Lisner Auditorium

[Photo: Mike Yesenosky]