(New favorite mp3 player: SysTrayPlay.  Not because it has the puzzling option of shutting down the computer after playback.)

I had related thoughts about some of the evolution references: I have this knee-jerk reaction [I believe, of our times] of "why don't they show all sides of the subject?".  Then I think of how many levels it was ridiculous that I just thought that.  Upon more listens, I noticed how "My Brother the Ape" seems to deal with a guy reluctantly dealing with his animal relatives, which I think is subtle - like "this is what you're all thinking", without being side-tracked at all from "Science".

I have similar thoughts about a nod to Pluto, without the "name all the planets" song being at all about the Pluto problem.

These are not the reasons I'm loving this album, however.

I heard this album played on the radio a few weeks ago, and the nerds who ran this college radio show were similarly excited about the science-ness of this album. I need to listen to it more, and I'm interested in my relationship to this album in the context of the currently perceived cultural divide between "religion" and "science." Isn't that like choosing between cake and ice cream?

"A scientific theory
Isn't just a hunch or guess
It's more like a question
That's been put through a lot of tests"
I remember on my first listen-through thinking that this album really likes its subject in a really nerdy way. And, upon further listenings, I really like the idea of an album being factually correct in a field I tend to be a minor jerk about. Especially "Put It To The Test", which has a pretty great summary of the idea of Falsifiability.

Yeah, I got one song from the album (can't remember if it was this one or not) in some freebie thing and thought the same thing. I do recommend the rest of the album. It's pretty good. It was just brought to my attention that you commented. As Brian pointed out, I wasn't subscribed to my own suggestions via rss, which I guess will notify me of comments somehow. Only problem is, I can't figure out how to subscribe to my own suggestions yet. hm.

I got this tune off a sampler disc (Insound Pushing Product 8, as I look it up), and liked it enough to download the album on Yahoo, but haven't actually listened to it yet.

J, another Stephin Merritt project is The Sixths, where he just brings in random (usually indie-ish) folks to sing his songs. See also the Gothic Archies, whom I have not heard, and I believe he has 'solo' stuff as well. BTW, does this mean you are unfamiliar with the 69 Love Songs album? Because if that's the case, it's a situation needing to be rectified immediately.

Yep.  Basically the same person/people.  Another guy collaborates on the writing in F.B.H.  The Magnetic Fields songs are written by Stephen Merritt (only), and performed by himself and others.

Wow Bri,
These Guys REALLY remind me of Future Bible Heroes. Especially the song "Zombie Boy". Any connection to that band?

Oh, their site points you to their MySpace page for streaming songs:
http://www.myspace.com/themagneticfields

This reminds me of the Editors, if the Editors were more bold in terms of what they allow themselves to sound like.  "Anthemic" is the word that comes to mind. Somewhat less charitably, Coldplay also comes to mind.  But I like these guys more.

Sometimes I think the first track on that album exists primarily to set up the transition into the second track...

I'd personally recommend their earlier album "Absolution" over this one.  It feels slightly less varied, but it has more standalone catch-in-your-head tunes.

On ~first listen, I'm liking "Arrows Pointing Sideways" on Positive Friction.

I thought "overall dark, apocalyptic tones" description on Rhapsody was a pretty good one, but I liked "Supermassive Black Hole"

I'm not sure I'd like to be idly reminded of Requiem for a Dream. Watching it struck me as the kind of experience that I would want to be fully prepared for, emotionally and otherwise. I fear that's my deep association with the Kronos Quartet, but sometime I'll work up the courage to test this theory.

Indeed, I can't find it.  Their website has no music either.

Nice background music.  "Hope" caught my attention, but perhaps only because it's faster/louder.

Great Album. Many good tracks. You might have a hard time finding a copy though, even on a music subscription service. Too bad they've broken up. We had the track "Subversive" play for the first dance at our wedding. You might say it's "our song", but we don't say such things. I think it should be everybody's song.

Time to comment on my own post.  Oddly, she seems to have 2 albums called Holy Road, with a lot of overlapping songs (one seemingly more produced, and one seemingly less).  The one on Yahoo is not the one I originally liked, but they are both really good.