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ARTIST: The Magnetic Fields
SONG: “Smoke And Mirrors (James Noble / Mark Robinson Remix)”
FIRST APPEARANCE: MRG 100, 1997
WHY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN A-SIDE: “Smoke,” which appeared on the Magnetic Fields’ 1995 album Get Lost, was originally an airy, minimal lament; the Noble/Robinson remix came out two years later, on a remix EP celebrating Merge Records’ 100th release. Noble and Robinson amp up the lushness quotient of the backing track, and adds a chattering synth underneath; they also turn the song into a duet, dubbing in the super-girlish vocals of Blast Off Country Style’s Evelyn Hurley as a counterpoint to Stephin Merritt’s deep voice. The end result is stunningly bittersweet, and one of the saddest lost-love songs we’ve ever stumbled across.

Magnetic Fields – Smoke And Mirrors (James Noble / Mark Robinson Remix) [MP3, link removed]