The Magnetic Fields bring mix of old & new to the Cat's Cradle

The Magnetic Fields rolled into Carrboro on Wednesday for the first show of a two-night stand at the Cat's Cradle.

Songwriter Stephin Merritt and the band rolled through a 28-song set which spanned the band's entire career, though it heavily featured the band's new album Love at the Bottom of the Sea.

Merritt's dry, quirky humor was on display throughout the evening, most notably when he pointed out numerous times that Merge Records had "defected" and was no longer based in Chapel Hill, but in Durham. After stating that Chapel Hill people should be on one side of the room while Durham should go to the other he said that everyone from Raleigh is gay and should just come on stage.

The Magnetic Fields announces new album & tour, two nights in Carrboro

The Magnetic Fields are gearing up to release their tenth full-length album in early 2012 via Merge Records. The album, titled Love at the Bottom of the Sea, will be out on March 6 and will be the band's first album with Merge since the 1999 breakthrough album 69 Love Songs.

The album is said to be a return to the early days of the band, meaning there will be a lot of synthesizers. Also, none of the album's 15 songs are over three minutes in length. Check out the complete track list below.

An extensive North American tour will follow the release which will bring The Magnetic Fields to the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro for two nights, April 11 and 12. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday, December 16 via Etix for $25.