Distant Plastic Trees is the debut studio album by American indie pop band the Magnetic Fields, released in 1991 on the Red Flame label.[1] Primarily a vehicle for songwriter Stephin Merritt, the album features lead vocals by Susan Anway and is characterized by its lo-fi production, minimal instrumentation using synthesizers and drum machines, and a blend of synth-pop, electronic, and pop elements.[2][1][3]Originally issued in the United Kingdom and Japan, the album was self-produced by Merritt using basic equipment including a Roland S-50 sampler, Korg Poly-800 synthesizer, Yamaha RX21 drum machine, and a Macintosh 512K computer for sequencing, resulting in a sparse and evocative sound that contrasts irony and fatalistic humor with influences from 1960sgirl group and baroque pop styles.[2][3] It comprises 11 tracks, including the notable single "100,000 Fireflies," which highlights Anway's deadpan delivery and the album's dreamy, otherworldly atmosphere.[1][2] The tracklist features songs such as "Smoke Signals," "Josephine," and "Plant White Roses," with the latter incorporating acoustic guitar for a slightly warmer texture amid the mechanized arrangements.[1][2] Though initially released during the peak of grunge, Distant Plastic Trees has been reissued multiple times, including a 1995 CD compilation with the band's second album The Wayward Bus and a 2016 vinyl remaster by Merge Records, underscoring its enduring appeal in indie music circles.[3]
Background and Development
Band Formation and Context
The Magnetic Fields were formed in Boston in 1989 by Stephin Merritt as an initial solo project, evolving from his earlier musical endeavors in the local indie scene.[4] Prior to this, Merritt had experimented with recording as a teenager, beginning songwriting at age four and using a four-track recorder by age 14 to explore lo-fi and synthesized sounds.[5] In the mid-1980s, he collaborated with vocalist Shirley Simms on the project Buffalo Rome, releasing a self-produced cassette tape that foreshadowed his interest in intimate, vocal-driven arrangements.[5][6]Merritt's early efforts with The Magnetic Fields included limited live performances, with the band's first show taking place in 1991 at T.T. the Bear's Place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, marking a shift from studio isolation to onstage presence.[5] To front the project, Merritt recruited Susan Anway as lead vocalist in the late 1980s, having met her in Boston's 1980s music circles through mutual friends; Anway, a non-professional singer who had performed in the local punk band V;, brought a detached, ethereal quality to his compositions.[2][5] Her involvement stemmed from Merritt's reluctance to use his own baritone voice, preferring her "mysterious" delivery on early material like the 1990 single "Crowd of Drifters."[2][5]Distant Plastic Trees served as the band's debut album, recorded primarily by Merritt in 1989 when he was 24, amid the group's nascent formation and experimentation with synth-pop aesthetics.[5] The sessions captured the band's emerging identity, blending Merritt's home-recorded synth arrangements with Anway's vocals, before she relocated to Arizona in pursuit of further education; Anway died on September 9, 2021.[5][7] This period reflected Merritt's transition from pseudonymous cassettes to a more defined ensemble sound, though live iterations remained fluid.[6]
Songwriting Process
Stephin Merritt composed all the original songs for Distant Plastic Trees independently, managing the full creative process from lyrics and melodies to arrangements as a solo endeavor.[8]Drawing on 1980ssynth-pop influences, he crafted the tracks primarily on digital keyboards and rhythm machines, including the Roland S-50 sampler and Yamaha RX21 drum machine, which shaped the album's electronic, minimalist sound.[9]Merritt emphasized concise, hook-driven structures, resulting in songs that average approximately three minutes in length, prioritizing emotional directness over elaboration.[10]The album incorporates one cover, "Babies Falling," originally by the Bostonpost-punk band the Wild Stares, selected to complement Merritt's originals with its ethereal, repetitive quality.[11][12]Thematic inspirations center on isolation and surreal imagery, evident in lyrics evoking detached, dreamlike scenarios that blend personal introspection with invented worlds, setting the album's introspective tone.[13]To finalize the 11-song tracklist, Merritt curated selections from his early demos, excluding material that did not align with the album's cohesive, understated aesthetic.[14]Susan Anway's light, airy vocal delivery proved well-suited to these songs, enhancing their fragile, otherworldly atmosphere without overpowering Merritt's compositions.[15]
Recording and Production
Studio Sessions
The recording of Distant Plastic Trees took place in Stephin Merritt's apartment in Boston, Massachusetts, spanning late 1990 to early 1991.[16] The project adopted a low-budget, DIY ethos, with Stephin Merritt assuming most production responsibilities in collaboration with engineer Ken Michaels.[17]The sessions were completed in approximately one week, marked by efficient workflows to accommodate the band's limited resources; vocalist Susan Anway contributed her parts during structured sessions, commuting from Arizona for recording.[16] Key challenges included restricted tracking time, prompting Merritt to perform as a multi-instrumentalist to reduce expenses and streamline the process.[18]A deliberate choice was made to maintain the album's sparse aesthetic, limiting overdubs to essential layers only, which emphasized the raw, minimalist arrangements developed from earlier songwriting efforts.[18]
Instrumentation and Sound Design
The album Distant Plastic Trees was constructed using a limited palette of digital synthesizers and electronic instruments, reflecting Stephin Merritt's early approach to indie pop production. The primary tools included the Roland S-50 sampler, which provided piano-like sounds and sampling capabilities for melodic elements; the Korg Poly-800 digital synthesizer for polyphonic textures and bass lines; the Yamaha RX21 drum machine for programmed rhythms; and, on select tracks, the ARP Odyssey analog synthesizer played manually for additional tonal depth. Sequences were controlled using a Macintosh 512K computer.[2][19] These choices emphasized electronic percussion and synthesized bass, eschewing live drums but incorporating acoustic guitar on one track ("Plant White Roses") to maintain a mechanized, sparse foundation.[2]Merritt employed layering techniques with these instruments to craft a stripped-down aesthetic, drawing from lo-fi indieproduction principles that prioritized simplicity and raw digital textures over dense arrangements. The result was a minimalistic sound design where subtle overlaps of synth lines and percussion created intimacy without overwhelming the compositions, often incorporating unconventional samples like chimes or bubble effects for atmospheric nuance.[3] This approach contributed to the album's total runtime of 36:11, underscoring brevity in its track structures to heighten emotional directness.[20]Vocalist Susan Anway's delivery further defined the sonic character, featuring a poker-faced, dissociative style that integrated seamlessly with the synth washes for an ethereal, translucent quality. Her stunned and distant phrasing, set against the icy skeletal backdrops of the instrumentation, evoked a sense of isolation and intimacy, enhancing the album's overall otherworldly detachment.[2]
Musical Style
Genre and Influences
Distant Plastic Trees is classified as indie pop, incorporating elements of synth-pop and lo-fi production that define its electronic aesthetic.[21][10] The album's sparse arrangements and mechanized instrumentation, relying heavily on synthesizers, evoke a minimalist approach to pop songcraft.[3]The primary influence on the album stems from the Welsh post-punk band Young Marble Giants, particularly their 1980 album Colossal Youth, whose economical and sparse sound shaped Merritt's vision for a "small record, intentionally small."[22] Additional inspirations include 1960s girl groups, reflected in the clever lyricism and melodic structures that nod to that era's pop traditions.[9] Atmospheric synth elements also draw from broader 1980sindie and electronic currents, contributing to the album's detached, introspective mood.[3]Unlike Merritt's later Magnetic Fields releases, which shifted toward acoustic instrumentation and fuller band arrangements—exemplified by the orchestral sweep of 69 Love Songs (1999)—Distant Plastic Trees stands as the band's most overtly electronic effort, marking a distinct phase in its evolution.[3] Released amid the early 1990s indie scene, it contributed to the lo-fi and synth-driven undercurrents that paralleled emerging alternative movements.[9]
Composition and Structure
The songs on Distant Plastic Trees predominantly follow a verse-chorus structure with minimal bridges, relying on repetitive synthesizer motifs to establish a hypnotic and introspective atmosphere. These arrangements emphasize fluid, elegant melodies that lend a spectral quality to the tracks, as exemplified in the tender pop constructions of "Railroad Boy" and "100,000 Fireflies."[9][23]Tempos vary across the album, spanning mid-tempo ballads to upbeat numbers that add dynamism to the overall sound; for example, "Babies Falling" proceeds at 88 BPM, creating a contemplative pace, while "Railroad Boy" moves at 116 BPM for a more lively feel.[24][25] Harmonic choices often lean toward minor keys to cultivate a melancholic tone, such as G♯ minor in "100,000 Fireflies," supported by straightforward chord progressions that prioritize emotional resonance over intricacy.[26]The album integrates one cover, "Babies Falling" originally by the Wild Stares, reworked into a synth-driven format with whimsical electronic bubbles and chimes that align it seamlessly with the original material.[27] Overall cohesion is achieved through recurring motifs, including static rhythms and echoing delays in the synthesizer layers, which unify the diverse tracks under a cohesive indie pop aesthetic.[12][3]
Release History
Original Release
Distant Plastic Trees was first released in 1991 in Japan on the RCA Victor label and in the United Kingdom on Red Flame Records, both in CD format.[28][29] The album arrived in the United States in 1992 via the band's own PoPuP Records imprint, bundled with their follow-up The Wayward Bus on a single CD compilation.[30] These initial editions were produced in limited quantities, primarily on CD with no vinyl pressing at the time.[31]Promotion for the album was modest, centered on college radio airplay for standout tracks like "100,000 Fireflies" and leveraging Stephin Merritt's ties to the Boston indie scene, without any extensive touring. The cover artwork, featuring a surreal, geographically impossible landscape, was created by watercolor artist Wendy Smith.[32] Initial sales remained low due to the niche distribution channels and fostered the album's early cult following among indie pop listeners.[4]
Reissues and Remasters
In 1995, Merge Records reissued Distant Plastic Trees as a single CD compilation alongside The Wayward Bus. This edition featured 20 tracks in total, with "Plant White Roses" omitted from the Distant Plastic Trees portion.[33]Domino Records followed with a European two-CD reissue in 2004, again bundling Distant Plastic Trees with The Wayward Bus and retaining the 20-track format without "Plant White Roses".[34]The albums received their first vinyl pressing in 2016 from Merge Records, presented as a two-LP set with remastered audio and original artwork by Wendy Smith. This release preserved the bundled structure and track omission from prior CD editions.[3]Following the death of original vocalist Susan Anway from complications related to Parkinson's disease in September 2021, the remastered version of Distant Plastic Trees remains widely available digitally on platforms including Spotify, with no new physical editions or audio updates issued as of November 2025.[7][35]
Reception
Contemporary Reviews
Upon its initial release in 1991 on the small indie label Red Flame Records, Distant Plastic Trees received sparse but generally favorable coverage in underground music publications, reflecting its niche appeal within the indie pop scene. The album's lo-fi production and whimsical synth arrangements drew comparisons to twee and synth-pop acts, though its limited distribution as an import-only release kept it off mainstream radar.Trouser Press lauded the record's baroque pop elements and impressionistic lyrics, noting the explicit themes of lust in tracks like "Railroad Boy" and self-loathing in "Falling in Love with the Wolfboy," while highlighting the saccharine charm of songs such as "Smoke Signals" and "100,000 Fireflies."[36]Robert Christgau graded it "Neither" in his Village Voice Consumer Guide.[37]AllMusic's early assessment awarded it 3 out of 5 stars, commending the minimalistic synth textures but critiquing an overall "inconsequential" feel that failed to fully cohere.[21]
Retrospective Assessments
In the years following its initial release, Distant Plastic Trees has garnered renewed appreciation for its pioneering role in indie pop, particularly through retrospective reviews of its 2016 remastered reissue by Merge Records. PopMatters awarded the reissue an 8 out of 10, praising Stephin Merritt's songwriting as unique and adventurous, with Susan Anway's deadpan vocals providing emotive depth to the mechanized synth arrangements, describing it as a masterful blend that infuses soul into synthetic sounds without feeling dated.[3]Following Anway's death in September 2021, NPR highlighted her contributions to the album in a tribute, emphasizing her coolly detached yet warm vocal delivery on tracks like "100,000 Fireflies," which lent a haunting intimacy to Merritt's early compositions and solidified her legacy in indie music.[2]User-driven platforms reflect a solid but niche acclaim, with Rate Your Music users averaging a 3.5 out of 5 rating based on over 1,800 votes, often noting the album's surreal watercolor cover art by Wendy Smith and its emotionally restrained tone that balances whimsy with subtle melancholy.[20]In a 2017 interview, Merritt reflected on the album's raw production, describing elements like field recordings and a cappella elements in related early work as "very raw-sounding," underscoring its unpolished origins that contrast with his later polished output.[13]A 2025 biography by Evan C. Bucklin, 69 Lovesongs Later: The Magnetic Fields Story, highlights the album's pioneering synth-driven sound in the band's development.[38]Despite its cult status, Distant Plastic Trees remains commercially obscure, with no major sales breakthroughs reported, though its availability on streaming platforms has sustained listener interest among indie enthusiasts.
Track Listing and Credits
Track Listing
Distant Plastic Trees consists of 11 tracks with a total runtime of 36:11. All tracks were written by Stephin Merritt, except where noted, and produced by Merritt.[29][39] The original 1991 cassette release divided the tracks across two sides, with Side A containing tracks 1–5 and Side B containing tracks 6–11.[10] Vinyl reissues, such as the 2016 Merge Records 2-LP set paired with The Wayward Bus, maintain a similar side division for Distant Plastic Trees tracks.[31]
The personnel involved in the creation of Distant Plastic Trees primarily consisted of a small core team, reflecting the album's lo-fi, DIY ethos as a largely solo endeavor by its principal songwriter. Susan Anway provided lead vocals across all tracks, delivering the ethereal, reverb-drenched performances that define the record's sound.[10]Stephin Merritt served as the album's songwriter for all original compositions, handling production as well as performance on every instrument, including synthesizers, drum programming, bass, keyboards, and various effects, with no additional guest musicians contributing to the recordings.[29][3]Ken Michaels contributed engineering and mixing duties.[29]For the album's visual elements, Wendy Smith handled the cover design, while Art Daly provided the insert photo.[10][29]