With no synths, no drum kits, and every instrument unplugged, the pristine Realism is the flip-side to the brash noise-pop of The Magnetic Fields' 2008 Distortion. Singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt calls it "folk," but with its wide range of instrumentation and orchestrated arrangements, says Merritt, "Realism is a more kaleidoscopic approach to a genre.” The BBC calls it "absolutely prime Merritt.