Obscurities

by Stephin Merritt

Overview

B-sides and rarities collections can often help give fans insight into their favorite artists' creative processes, or at the very least, provide either a light snack between releases or a post-retirement victory lap, but when an artist as prolific as Stephin Merritt decides to clean house, it can be a little daunting. Over the years, Merritt's seemingly endless supply of wry, melodic, basement electro-folk songs has required him to use multiple pseudonyms (Magnetic Fields, the 6ths, the Gothic Archies), nearly all which of make an appearance on Obscurities. At its best, the collection stirs some up left-field gems like "Forever and a Day" and "When You're Young and in Love," both of which were pulled from an unfinished musical called The Song from Venus, and the breezy Wasps' Nest outtake "Yet Another Girl." ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	08/23/2011
Label:	MERGE RECORDS
UPC:	0673855043012

Tracks

1. Forever and a Day
2. Rats in the Garbage of the Western World
3. I Don't Believe You
4. Plant White Roses
5. Rot in the Sun
6. The Sun and the Sea and the Sky
7. Yet Another Girl
8. Scream (¿¿¿Till You Make the Scene)
9. The Song from Venus
10. Beach-A-Boop-Boop
11. When I'm Not Looking, You're Not There
12. Take Ecstasy with Me
13. When You're Young and in Love
14. You Are Not My Mother and I Want to Go Home

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stephin Merritt   Primary Artist
Claudia Gonson   Drums,Vocals (Background)
Stuart Moxham   Vocals
Susan Anway   Vocals
Shirley Simms   Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Stephin Merritt   Composer
Jeff Lipton   Mastering
Gail O'Hara   Photography
Tom Rogers   Engineer
Michael Fusco   Design
Charles Newman   Engineer
Shirley Simms   Composer