The Magnetic Fields is the songwriting and recording project of New York native and LA resident Stephin Merrit. Having existed since the early nineties, it was 1999's triple-concept album '69 Love Songs' that broke them into the mainstream; after thirteen years of listening I'm still digesting most of it. It's more unwieldy than The Clash's 'Sandinista', some songs pack more humour and wit into their two minutes than most songwriters manage to work into their entire discography. The album's defined by Merrit's dry humour and love songs that bend genre roles, with Merrit's voice moving between the feminine and masculine, and exist in a timeless state that shifts incongruously between the modern day and a romanticised past somewhere between New York and Paris. New track 'Andrew In Drag' from his upcoming record 'Love At The Bottom Of The Sea' returns to these obsessions and styles after released three albums in the past decade comprising mainly guitar based work.

Below are two of his finest moments, one from 1994's 'Holiday' album, the other from '69 Love Songs' although choosing just one track is incredibly difficult. Both showcase his wit, oddness, and subtley infectious songwriting ability.

Today is apprently 'Blue Monday' - the most depressing day of the year. Three weeks after Christmas, January proving as miserable as ever, we're all feeling glum, and it's Monday, couldn't get much worse. So in order to cheer you all up a bit, here's New Order's most beautiful love song, 'Temptation'. Nine minutes of arpeggiating synths, Bernard Sumner's plaintive cry of 'I've never met anyone quite like you before' and Hooky's pulsing bassline. So if you're feeling a bit down, and this doesn't cheer you up, then there's no hope.

(I've listened to this three times already today.)

Serge Gainsbourg's classic 'Histoire de Melody Nelson' is getting a long overdue re-release. The 1971 concept album financed off the back of 1969's erotic 4 minute tribute to the desperation of love, Je T'aime Moi Non Plus. Gainsbourg used the capital accumulated of the back of that single's shock value (it was banned in numerous countries) to finance what would become his most complete work.

Essentially formed around two interlocking and overlapping musical themes than run across it's brief 30 minute run time, primarily Jean Claude Vannier's orchestral strings that riff across a series of motifs, and free-form improvised guitar work of Alan Parker. All over dubbed with Gainsbourgh trademark laconic vocals, telling the tale of his infatuation and seduction of the teenage Melody Nelson. It's seedy and beautiful in the way only Gainsbourg manages.

It's also a hugely influential record, as seen by the amount of time's its been recalibrated and reperformed with everyone from Beck to Sean Lennon to Mike Patton. Put on your finest polo neck, crack out the Pastis and Gitanes, and relax to two of Histoire's finest tracks, 'Ballade De Melody Nelson' and 'L'Hotel Particulier'.