| Obscurities | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | August 23, 2011 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop | |||
| Length | 38:12 | |||
| Label | Merge Records | |||
| Stephin Merritt chronology | ||||
| ||||
Obscurities is a compilation album by Stephin Merritt, released in 2011 on Merge Records. It consists of B-sides, compilations cuts, and various other previously unreleased material.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100 [1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| American Songwriter | [3] |
| The A.V. Club | B [4] |
| Consequence of Sound | B [5] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [6] |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A– [7] |
| MusicOMH | [8] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10 [9] |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
On Metacritic, Obscurities has a score of 74 out of 100, indicating that it has received "generally favorable reviews" from critics. [1] The most positive review came from Robert Christgau, who gave the album an A– grade and wrote that he was "swept off [his] feet by Merritt thoughtfully intoning some little green men's "Song From Venus."" [7]
Stephin Raymond Merritt is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the songwriter and principal singer of the bands The Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. He is known for his distinctive and untrained bass voice.
Showtunes is the result of collaboration between Stephin Merritt with Chen Shi-zheng on three pieces of musical theatre; Orphan of Zhao (2003), Peach Blossom Fan (2004), and My Life as a Fairy Tale (2005). Select tracks from these are featured on this album. It was released on Nonesuch Records on March 16, 2006 but was available from peer-to-peer networks from February 20, 2006. The remainder of songs from the shows were released exclusively through online music stores.
The 6ths is a band created by Stephin Merritt, also the primary songwriter and instrumentalist behind The Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. One story has it that the band was conceived when Merritt, observing that there was no tribute album dedicated to him, decided to make one himself. In the group, Merritt writes and plays songs which are then sung by other artists—a different artist on each track. It has so far produced two well-received albums and many different collaborations.
69 Love Songs is the sixth studio album by American indie pop band the Magnetic Fields, released on September 7, 1999 by Merge Records. As its title indicates, 69 Love Songs is a three-volume concept album composed of 69 love songs, all written by Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt.
Holiday is the fourth studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields. The album was actually the third to be recorded, and was intended to be released through the label Feel Good All Over prior to The Charm of the Highway Strip. However, due to the label delaying its release for over a year, it would not emerge until five months after its successor. Merge Records reissued the album in 1999.
i is the seventh studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields. It was released on May 4, 2004, by record label Nonesuch. The songs of the album all start with the letter "i" and are all sung by Stephin Merritt. The songs are also in alphabetical order.
Distant Plastic Trees is the debut studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released in 1991. Lead vocals on the album are performed by Susan Anway.
The Wayward Bus is the second studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released in 1992 by record label PoPuP.
Pieces of April is the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Written by Stephin Merritt and performed by his various bands, it was released on November 4, 2003 on Nonesuch Records. Three of the songs were previously released on The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs, and "As You Turn to Go" and "You You You You You" were previously seen on The 6ths' album, Hyacinths and Thistles.
Distortion is the eighth studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields. It was released on January 15, 2008 on Nonesuch Records.
The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events is the second and most recent studio album by indie pop band The Gothic Archies. It is a concept album whose songs are inspired by the thirteen books of Daniel Handler's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events and were originally included at the end of the audiobook editions of each novel.
Wasps' Nests is the 1995 debut album by The 6ths, a side-project created by Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields. Merritt wrote and recorded the album, inviting different vocalists to sing lead.
Scott Miller was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work as leader of the 1980s band Game Theory and 1990s band The Loud Family, and as the author of a 2010 book of music criticism. He was described by The New York Times as "a hyperintellectual singer and songwriter who liked to tinker with pop the way a born mathematician tinkers with numbers", having "a shimmery-sweet pop sensibility, in the tradition of Brian Wilson and Alex Chilton."
Realism is the ninth studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields. It was officially released on January 26, 2010 by Nonesuch Records.
And I'll Scratch Yours is a compilation album developed by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. Initially slated for release in 2010, the album was released on 24 September 2013. The original concept was that And I'll Scratch Yours would serve as a companion piece to Gabriel's 2010 covers album Scratch My Back. The idea was to give the artists whose songs Gabriel covered on Scratch My Back a medium to reciprocate – And I'll Scratch Yours would feature those artists covering Gabriel's songs. However, three artists declined to record covers of Gabriel's material. Therefore, three new artists contributed covers to the album instead.
Love at the Bottom of the Sea is the tenth studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields. It was released in the U.K. on March 5, 2012 by record label Domino and in the U.S. on March 6, 2012 by Merge.
Partygoing is the third studio album by American indie pop band Future Bible Heroes. Future Bible Heroes member and lead lyricist Stephin Merritt was inspired by The B-52's' 1981 album Party Mix! to create Partygoing, conceived as "a party album that only just happens to be largely about drunk suicide, aging, death, loss, and despair."
Old 97's & Waylon Jennings is an EP consisting of 1996 demo recordings by American country/rock band Old 97's and two unreleased duets with country music legend Waylon Jennings. It was released on October 1, 2013 by Omnivore Recordings.
50 Song Memoir is the eleventh studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released on March 10, 2017. 50 Song Memoir is an autobiographical concept album that chronicles the first 50 years of lyricist Stephin Merritt's life, with one song for each year that he has lived.
Quickies is the twelfth studio album by The Magnetic Fields. The album consists of 28 songs, each of which is between 0:17 and 2:35 in length. For the album's conceit, Magnetic Fields singer and songwriter Stephin Merritt was influenced by the short fiction of Lydia Davis and the writing of his own book of Scrabble poetry.
