6ths Wasps' Nests CD

WASPS' NESTS features songs written by Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, performed by various indie-rock singers, including members of Yo La Tengo, Sebadoh, Superchunk, the Tall Dwarfs and Luna.
The 6ths: Stephin Merritt (vocals, various instruments).
Composer: Stephin Merritt.
Personnel: Mitch Easter (vocals, guitar); Chris Knox, Janet Underhill , Georgia Hubley, Lou Barlow, Mac McCaughan, Mark Robinson, Amelia Fletcher, Anna Domino, Ayako Akashiba, Robert Scott (vocals).
A one-of-a-kind collaborative effort, masterminded by producer/songwriter Stephin Merritt, and sung well by various cult stars of the alternative rock scene. The results are unusually successful, if a bit toward the light and precious side, mixing indie attitude with melodicism and production finesse. ~ Richie Unterberger
For his major-label debut, Stephin Merritt came up with a brilliant idea. Rather than showcase his music through his usual band, The Magnetic Fields, the Boston-born, New York-based singer-songwriter asked fourteen of his influences and peers to sing fourteen of his songs, taking the fifteenth, the excellent "Aging Spinsters," for himself. The intoxicating results are among Merritt's very best work, melodic vignettes of sarcastic disdain (Dean Wareham's "Falling Out of Love"), wistful longing (Barbara Manning's "San Diego Zoo"), heartbreak (Mary Timony's "All Dressed Up In Dreams") and romantic idealism (Robert Scott's "Heaven In A Black Leather Jacket").
Merritt plays nearly all the instruments himself, and the singers all follow the Magnetic Fields example of deadpan detachment in their vocal style, so the album sounds less like a compilation than like an album by one band which happens to have 15 singers. On every level, WASPS' NESTS is a triumph.Rolling Stone (6/15/95, p.81) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...a chilly, stunning and sad symphony of breakup songs written with the contradictory beauty and cheer of some of the greatest pop singles of the '60s. [The] marriage of the cheap tinkle of keyboards graced with hushed vocals and spacier synth odysseys is both masterful and dangerous..."
Spin (5/95, p.98) - 8 - Highly Recommended - "...[Stephin Merritt] is a one-man Brill Building, a synth-pop Noel Coward....What's most attractive about [WASPS' NESTS]--its showcasing of so many talented singers--is also its weakness. Merritt's idiosyncratic songs are meant for...his own voice..."
Entertainment Weekly (4/7/95, p.92) - "...Using Casio keyboards, customized gizmos, and a few singers, Stephin Merritt fashions a homemade hit parade, catchier and smarter than anything in the Top 40. His toy symphony plays classics similar to Phil Spector, ABBA, and others..." - Rating: A
Q (9/95, p.120) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Merrit's songs have flexibility and perhaps a greater appeal than was previously thought..."
Option (9-10/95, p.135) - "...amazing songwriter, gossamer techno-pop melodies, brilliant lyrics, etc...WASPS' NEST is a brilliant, accesible, listener-friendly album..."
Melody Maker (7/15/95, p.35) - Recommended - "...There are too many gems here....it's not a record to smash the barriers of sound, but it'll charm the pants off you. Guaranteed..."
Village Voice (2/20/96) - Ranked #25 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
NME (Magazine) (9/16/95, p.50) - 6 (out of 10) - "...touched by the tiny hand of genius....[Merritt's] love of allegedly `perfect' pop--Abba, chiefly--is...in evidence here, as [he] turns himself into a one-man Brill Building, pumping out possible hits for a generation of underground rockers..."