The 6ths are not so much a band as a forum to showcase the synth pop writing and arranging talents that Stephin Merritt normally reserves for his sometimes solo, sometimes group, project, the Magnetic Fields. On Wasps' Nests, the songwriter's first major-label release, 16 indie rock stars, from Superchunk's Mac McCaughan to Unrest/Air Miami's Mark Robinson take turns singing new Merritt compositions.
But for all the reinterpreting you'd expect from staunch individualists like Sebadoh's Lou Barlow, Wasps' Nests is surprisingly unified. Perhaps because the music and production is all Merritt's, none of the voices do much to alter the essential qualities of the songs' form and style. Every vocal performance, from the airy soprano of Heavenly's Amelia Fletcher on "Looking For Love (In the Hall of Mirrors)" to Merritt's own brooding bass on "Aging Spinsters," is moving but inconsequential to the music's identity.
Just as well. Wasps' Nests is designed to highlight Merritt, the writer and arranger. As he clarified last year on the Magnetic Fields' brilliant The Charm of the Highway Strip, Merritt is the rare pop composer to ingest all the greats before him--from Bacharach and David to Morrissey and Marr--and to applie their infectious melodic gifts and lyrical grace to the sounds and tools of the day. Merritt's weapon of choice: the multilayered metallic drone and zap of the computerized keyboard. And he slays us every time. --Roni Sarig
Wasps' Nests,The 6ths,London / Pgd,Alternative Pop/Rock,Indie Pop,Lo-Fi,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop
Wasps' Nests
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Wasps' Nests
The 6ths Manufacturer: London / Umgd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Alternative Rock
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Lo-Fi
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
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Indie Rock
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
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General
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
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| Rock
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Pop Rock
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ASIN: B000001FIC Release Date: 1995-03-21 |
Tracks:
- San Diego Zoo - Barbara Manning
- Aging Spinsters - Stephen Merritt
- All Dressed Up In Dreams - Mary Timony
- Falling Out Of Love (With You) - Dean Wareham
- Winter In July - Ayako Akashiba
- Pillow Fight - Mitch Easter
- Dream Hat - Mac McCaughan
- Movies In My Head - Georgia Hubley
- In The City In The Rain - Lou Barlow
- Looking For Love (In The Hall Of Mirrors) - Amelia Fletcher
- Heaven In A Black Leather Jacket - Robert Scott
- Here In My Heart - Anna Domino
- Puerto Rico Way - Mark Robinson
- You Can't Break A Broken Heart - Jeffrey Underhill
- When I'm Out Of Town - Chris Knox
Amazon.com
The 6ths are not so much a band as a forum to showcase the synth pop writing and arranging talents that Stephin Merritt normally reserves for his sometimes solo, sometimes group, project, the Magnetic Fields. On Wasps' Nests, the songwriter's first major-label release, 16 indie rock stars, from Superchunk's Mac McCaughan to Unrest/Air Miami's Mark Robinson take turns singing new Merritt compositions.But for all the reinterpreting you'd expect from staunch individualists like Sebadoh's Lou Barlow, Wasps' Nests is surprisingly unified. Perhaps because the music and production is all Merritt's, none of the voices do much to alter the essential qualities of the songs' form and style. Every vocal performance, from the airy soprano of Heavenly's Amelia Fletcher on "Looking For Love (In the Hall of Mirrors)" to Merritt's own brooding bass on "Aging Spinsters," is moving but inconsequential to the music's identity.
Just as well. Wasps' Nests is designed to highlight Merritt, the writer and arranger. As he clarified last year on the Magnetic Fields' brilliant The Charm of the Highway Strip, Merritt is the rare pop composer to ingest all the greats before him--from Bacharach and David to Morrissey and Marr--and to applie their infectious melodic gifts and lyrical grace to the sounds and tools of the day. Merritt's weapon of choice: the multilayered metallic drone and zap of the computerized keyboard. And he slays us every time. --Roni Sarig
Customer Reviews:
undiscovered country.......2007-01-15
Aging Spinster is the most insidious song on the album. It's like a lamprey with it's hook and arrogant swagger. In the City In The Rain likewise, with the vocals just tickling the ear, and Falling Out of Love is my favourite with it's morbid excellence.
Two thumbs up people. Should appeal to fans of Balck Box Recorder and The Postal Service.
bland.......2006-04-20
2:Aging Spinsters
6:Pillow Fight
13:Puerto Rico Way
the rest sounded a bit bland. The song lengths are not to long which is good because even if these songs were any longer they would start to be boring.
Merritt creates an alternate universe, where, the real world doesn't matter........2006-02-01
"a bland watered-down version of rock'n'roll with more rhythm and harmony and an emphasis on romantic love"
Now, before anyone bashes me, I don't agree with the "bland" and "watered-down" words, expecially in the case of Stephin Merrit, but it's true of the music played today. There's magic in this album. It's so full of life, and dare I say, the bliss of happiness. It's truly amazing how "Wasps' Nests" can completely change my perceptions. It puts me in a state of mind. Maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic, but this album happens to be the soundtrack to my life, as cheesy as that sounds. And no matter how cheesy the lyrics may be, You'll find yourself in love with them, almost as much as the luscious sound that is, "The 6ths." A masterpiece.
Come on, you know you want it........2006-01-27
This is the Stephin Merritt gateway drug. Buy Holiday next.
Highway 405 will take you..........2005-11-05
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