OH, MERGE: A MERGE RECORDS 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY COMPILATION Various Artists 1999

 by request

Discogs

 

Tracklist 

1	–Ashley Stove	A Chocolate Crave
2	–Beatnik Filmstars	Hypo-Boxing
3	–East River Pipe	So Much Hate
4	–Ganger	Blaufest
5	–Guv'ner	Lucky Ladybug
6	–The Karl Hendricks Trio	You're A Bigger Jerk Than Me
7	–The Ladybug Transistor	Massachusetts
8	–Lambchop	Up With People (Live)
9	–The Mad Scene	Kokomo Joe
10	–The Magnetic Fields	Take Ecstasy With Me
11	–Neutral Milk Hotel	Engine
12	–Pipe (2)	Sheer Heart Attack
13	–Portastatic	Easily Aroused
14	–The Rock *A* Teens*	What Took You So Long
15	–Rocket From The Crypt	Man Down
16	–Seaweed	Brand New Order
17	–Shark Quest	Dancing Tooth
18	–Spent (2)	(I'll Clean Up) The Mess That You Are
19	–Superchunk	Clover
20	–Third Eye Foundation*	Semtex

 

THE LONG SECRET A Harriet Records Compilation 1995

 

Discogs

Tracklist 

1	–Vehicle Flips	Diplomacy, Home And Abroad
2	–Twig (5)	Lilac Ride
3	–The Ampersands	My Favourite Jumper
4	–The Mountain Goats	Duke Ellington
5	–Six Cents And Natalie	Quilting Bee
6	–The Gothic Archies	The Abandoned Castle Of My Soul
7	–Pest 5000	Godsound
8	–Weeping In Fits And Starts	Big Fish
9	–Frank Boscoe & Karl Hendricks	Song For Tim & Alix
10	–The Cat's Miaow	The Phoebe I Know
11	–Fertile Virgin	My Three Suns
12	–Tully Craft*	Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend's Too Stupid To Know About
13	–Lotus Eaters (3)	Whistles And Bells
14	–Prickly	Hedgeclipping Song
15	–The Extra Glenns	Process Of Elimination
16	–High Risk Group	Elevation Craving
17	–The Magnetic Fields	Plant White Roses

THE GOTHIC ARCHIES The New Despair 1997

punk/goth

Discogs

Artist Biography by Greg Prato

The Gothic Archies are one of the many bands led by songwriter Stephin Merritt, who's also a member of the Magnetic Fields, the 6ths, and Future Bible Heroes. Self described as goth rock/bubblegum, the Gothic Archies issued their debut, the seven-track EP The New Despair. in 1997, followed nearly ten years later by the full-length Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events in 2006. 

Tracklist

1	It's Useless To Struggle	2:31
2	City Of The Damned	1:41
3	The Abandoned Castle Of My Soul	3:13
4	Your Long White Fingers	1:37
5	Ever Falls The Twilight	3:43
6	The Tiny Goat	1:48
7	In A Cave	1:38

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS The Wayward Bus / Distant Plastic Trees 1994

by request

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Richie Unterberger

The Magnetic Fields may be a bona fide band, but in most essential respects they are the project of studio wunderkind Stephin Merritt, who writes, produces, and (generally) sings all of the material. Merritt also plays many of the instruments, concocting a sort of indie pop-synth rock. While the Magnetic Fields' albums draw upon the electronic textures of vintage acts like ABBA, Kraftwerk, Roxy Music with Eno, Joy Division, and Gary Numan, Merritt's vision is far more pointed toward the alternative rock underground. His songs are also far warmer and more purely pop-oriented than the above references indicate, sounding at times like late 20th century equivalents to the catalogs of Phil Spector or Brian Wilson.
Merritt began recording music on his own four-track at a young age, but he didn't issue the first Magnetic Fields album until 1990, when he was well into his twenties. The first pair of discs featured the choir girl vocals of Susan Anway, but Merritt handled the vocals himself on most subsequent releases, singing in a deep croon not far removed from his European influences. The synth pop quotient also became heavier on those albums, although Merritt always took care to mix in quite a few natural instruments with the electronic ones, often with the help of Claudia Gonson (percussion) and Sam Davol (cello, flute). Throughout it all, an emphasis remained on the band's pop hooks and eccentric, romantically reflective lyrics rather than the bedrock synthetic rhythms and textures.

In addition to his work with Magnetic Fields, Merritt involved himself in several side projects over the years, the most notable being the 6ths' Wasps' Nests album in 1995. Merritt sang only one track himself on this disc, for which he acted as composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, employing well-known alternative rock singers like Barbara Manning, Dean Wareham (Luna), Lou Barlow, Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo), Chris Knox, and Robert Scott (the Bats) to handle the lead vocals. After releasing 1997's New Despair as the Gothic Archies, Merritt finally returned to the Magnetic Fields aegis for 1999's 69 Love Songs, released as both a trio of separate discs and a limited-edition three-CD box set. Merritt spent the next few years releasing more side projects, including records from the Gothic Archies, Future Bible Heroes, and the 6ths, as well as numerous soundtracks. It wasn't until May 2004 that Merritt and his Magnetic Fields finally got around to making i, a collection of songs that begin with the aforementioned vowel. Distortion followed in early 2008; shortly thereafter, Merritt set to work on an acoustic folk-influenced album, Realism, which was released in January 2010. The Magnetic Fields returned in 2012 with Love at the Bottom of the Sea. Showcasing a return to the band's classic synthesizer and acoustic guitar pop sound, the album featured the single "Andrew in Drag." 

 

Tracklist  

	The Wayward Bus
1	When You Were My Baby	2:43
2	The Saddest Story Ever Told	2:12
3	Lovers From The Moon	2:52
4	Candy	2:32
5	Tokyo Á Go-Go	3:12
6	Summer Lies	2:59
7	Old Orchard Beach	2:54
8	Jeremy	3:01
9	Dancing In Your Eyes	2:56
10	Suddenly There Is A Tidal Wave	3:18
11	(no audio)	4:32
	Distant Plastic Trees
12	Railroad Boy	2:59
13	Smoke Signals	3:28
14	You Love To Fail	2:30
15	Kings	2:15
16	Babies Falling	3:18
17	Living In An Abandoned Firehouse With You	3:58
18	Tar-Heel Boy	2:26
19	Falling In Love With The Wolfboy	4:05
20	Josephine	3:08
21	100,000 Fireflies	3:20