In his review of The Magnetic Fields' Distortion on NPR's Fresh Air, pop critic Ken Tucker, also an editor-at-large at Entertainment Weekly, describes singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt as "a cult rock star who proceeds like a poet" in his many and varied musical undertakings.

In his lyrics, says Tucker, Stephin's "plenty clever," and for all the well-placed distortion, "there are moments of grand beauty on this album," particularly on "the gorgeous, broken-hearted love song, 'I'll Dream Alone.'" Tucker continues:

Stephin Merritt's sonorous, flat voice complements the distortion on Distortion very nicely. His extravagant unhappiness ... becomes our enjoyment—at his best, our euphoria ... Hearing Merritt's morose, witty obsessions in this sonic context is intensely pleasurable.

You can hear Tucker's review, complete with song clips from Distortion, on npr.org. You can purchase the CD at the Nonesuch Store to receive a free instant download of the album MP3s along with an exclusive bonus download, "The Man of a Million Faces," Stephin's solo creation for NPR's Project Song.