Obscurities

Stephin Merritt is not normally the nostalgic type, but to celebrate his return to Merge Records after a decade away, this compilation gathers rare and unreleased recordings mostly dating from the '90s era when he was simultaneously piloting The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, Future Bible Heroes and The Gothic Archies. Merritt was so prolific during this period that Obscurities is nearly the equal of Merritt's "real" '90s records. If nothing else, it's essential for resurrecting three of Merritt's finest songs from his early electro-indie phase: the original 1998 single recording of "I Don't Believe You" (one of Merritt's most acidic anti-love songs, remade poorly on 2004's I) and a pair of 6ths rarities, "Rot in the Sun" (a poisonous farewell to an ex seeking fame in Los Angeles) and "Yet Another Girl" (sung by Young Marble Giants' Stuart Moxham, one of Merritt's key influences, and previously available only on the extremely rare box-of-singles release of 1995's Wasps Nests). Other intriguing rarities include a frenetic take on the swooning "Take Ecstasy With Me" sung by original Magnetic Fields chanteuse Susan Anway and a true obscurity, the acoustic-guitar ballad "Plant White Roses" from a late '80s cassette-only release credited to Buffalo Rome (Merritt with occasional Magnetic Fields contributor Shirley Simms on lead vocals). A must-have for fans (the five unreleased tracks, largely from an unfinished musical co-written by longtime collaborator Daniel Handler, are pretty ace as well), its low-key playfulness will appeal to newcomers as well.