When Stephin Merritt started The Magnetic Fields in the late '80s, his tastes ran to New Zealand indie rock and post-punk synth-pop. But soon, traces of ABBA and Dionne Warwick were appearing in his increasingly literate, tuneful songs. Long before the epic 69 Love Songs, Merritt's admiration of the Great American Songbook and classic pop and jazz performers was permeating his work.