Track Listings (14) - Disc #1| All Artists: 6ths Title: Hyacinths & Thistles Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: Merge Records Original Release Date: 9/5/2000 Release Date: 9/5/2000 Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock Style: Indie & Lo-Fi Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPCs: 036172948529, 0684340000137, 804011000222 |
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Search - 6ths :: Hyacinths & Thistles
 | 6ths Hyacinths & Thistles Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
Perhaps we've been spoiled by the prolific talents of Stephen Merritt. He's the brainchild behind the 6ths, Magnetic Fields, and Future Bible Heroes, which all prove that sentimentality didn't die out with the Tin Pan Alle... more » |
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Amazon.com Perhaps we've been spoiled by the prolific talents of Stephen Merritt. He's the brainchild behind the 6ths, Magnetic Fields, and Future Bible Heroes, which all prove that sentimentality didn't die out with the Tin Pan Alley songsmith. And we've come to expect nothing short of brilliance from him (which he so perfectly illustrated in the Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs). The 6ths is less a band than a studio project, an outlet in which Merritt's higher-marquee friends get to cover the songwriter's ditties. The lineup of guest vocalists on Hyacinths and Thistles is impressive enough (Gary Numan, Melanie, Bob Mould, Odetta, and Sally Timms, to name a few), but the moments of synth-pop brilliance--Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell on "Kissing Things" and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon on "The Dead Only Quickly"--are few and far between. Odetta's "Waltzing Me All the Way Home" sounds like a heartfelt Tom Waits tune, but it follows Marc Almond's overblown exotica track, "Volcana!" Yes, Mr. Merritt, we know you have a lot of musical friends whose ability to traverse styles (from disco to sea shanty) is impressive. But whereas Wasps' Nests, the 6ths' debut CD, felt like a cohesive song cycle, Hyacinths and Thistles sounds like a thrown-together tribute disc. --Jason Verlinde Similar CDsSimilarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsHeartbreaking... Rob Damm | 01/01/2002 (5 out of 5 stars) "I am puzzled by the criticism this album has been garnering. It is earnest, electro-cabaret music sung by some of the most distinctive voices in indie/alt.pop music. Composition-wise, Merrit keeps it simple. The arrangements are bare-bones, vocals front-and-center, making it easy to focus on some of his most honest and "adult" lyrics to date.True, this record isn't much fun. But it is true and beautiful and immensely sad. Momus's singing on the first track is a highlight, as is the enchanting "sailor who's in love with the sea". These are grown-up songs about grown-up emotions. It is not the bullet-proof jugernaut "69 Love songs" was, but it isn't meant to be. It's not the party record "Wasps nest" was... but it certainly isn't meant to be that... listen alone in the dark when your heartstrings break. You will hear the sound of a life and a love laid bare. Absolutely heartbreaking stuff." It will creep into your heart Elizabeth | New York, NY United States | 05/17/2004 (5 out of 5 stars) "I suspect that those people who wrote less-than-positive reviews of this album did so without giving it a chance. These are not "one night stand" songs that you jump and thrash around to for a brief moment before moving onto something else. These are songs that you will end up burning on mix CDs you make for your girlfriend, or playing when you miss someone, or having on in the background while you do dishes because they make even that pleasant. They are beautiful songs, sometimes haunting, and perfectly express some of those difficult-to-pin-down relationship moments as only Stephin Merritt can." Judge For Yourself Escarole | 09/17/2001 (5 out of 5 stars) "I'm a bit baffled by the harsh words being thrown around concerning this disc. I wonder if it was written by teenagers. And although I think they have a lot to say about music - I love to watch them crying on MTV - this record is the most adult record Stephin has ever done. Those who scoff at Momus on "As You Turn To Go," might not have loved without reciprocation yet. Well, to be fair they probably have, and it was most likely earth-shattering, but only in later years will it really sink in. Wasp's Nests was a fun record and every song was catchy. But Hyacinths and Thistles will truely stand the test of time. To me, the only song worth caring about on the first 6ths record was, "When I'm Out of Town." The songs on this disc linger in the same realm that that song touched apon. Grab this record and appreciate it - it might help you out one day."
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