The 6ths
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The 6ths is a band featuring various artists and notable guest singers created by Stephin Merritt, also the prime mover behind The Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes.
The two albums released to date are Wasps’ Nests (1995) and Hyacinths and Thistles (1999/2000). The names of both albums, and the name of the band, are deliberate tongue-twisters. The words are chosen for their abundance of s and th sounds. Sixths packs one th and three s sounds into one syllable.
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. The concept is that Merritt writes songs which are then played and sung by other artists, different ones on each track. It has so far produced two well-received albums and many bizarre collaborations.
The other story (and the more accurate one) is that Merritt wrote the songs, mailed the singers rough demos, their vocals and additional tracks were returned via mail back to Merritt who the results took to his studio and polished them up as finished items. This at least rings true on the debut record, with the singers and composers never meeting in person. A few years later, the Postal Service would use this same tactic and even use the method as their namesake.
The list of singers on Wasps’ Nests reads like a veritable Who’s Who of mid 90s indie rock starpower, including Miho Hatori, Barbara Manning, Mary Timony, Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, Luna), Lou Barlow, Robert Scott (The Bats, The Clean), Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo) and Mark Robinson.
The two albums released to date are Wasps’ Nests (1995) and Hyacinths and Thistles (1999/2000). The names of both albums, and the name of the band, are deliberate tongue-twisters. The words are chosen for their abundance of s and th sounds. Sixths packs one th and three s sounds into one syllable.
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. The concept is that Merritt writes songs which are then played and sung by other artists, different ones on each track. It has so far produced two well-received albums and many bizarre collaborations.
The other story (and the more accurate one) is that Merritt wrote the songs, mailed the singers rough demos, their vocals and additional tracks were returned via mail back to Merritt who the results took to his studio and polished them up as finished items. This at least rings true on the debut record, with the singers and composers never meeting in person. A few years later, the Postal Service would use this same tactic and even use the method as their namesake.
The list of singers on Wasps’ Nests reads like a veritable Who’s Who of mid 90s indie rock starpower, including Miho Hatori, Barbara Manning, Mary Timony, Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, Luna), Lou Barlow, Robert Scott (The Bats, The Clean), Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo) and Mark Robinson.
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Top Albums
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Wasps' Nests
The 6thsBuy- Download Album
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Hyacinths and Thistles
The 6thsBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.99
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Wasp’s Nests
The 6thsBuy- Download Album
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Hyacinths ＆ Thistles
The 6thsBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.99
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Shoutbox
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LiteraryBum wrote:
made the mistake of thinking "oh, i'll just listen to one track off H&T" ten tracks later....
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gregoryoftours wrote:
love both records so much
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ProfondoRosso17 wrote:
YOU'VE TRIED SCIENCE, YOU'VE TRIED ART...
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alejamand wrote:
Sometimes I forget how much I love Hyacinths and Thistles.
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karmified wrote:
MARRY YOUNG, DIANAA
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clovisguerim wrote:
Pretty good!
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faignacia wrote:
(U)
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anabeldorothy wrote:
oahu
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picchionero wrote:
hyacinths and thistles is soo esoteric in some way, one of the best album ever
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xJake_Guitarx wrote:
Nice I like this band pretty good :D
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allisaaa wrote:
if someone chainsawed stephin merritt (god forbid) his insides would be gold and green
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chinneths wrote:
goodies
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_mute wrote:
I've listened to alot of Stephin Merritt records over the years.. The 6th's - Wasp's Nest is the only work of his that I have never been able to put down. Classic record with the perfect guest vocalists.
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aizsak wrote:
if you want to compare a stephin merritt song, you compare it to every other song ever made that wasn't a stephin merritt song.
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insomniacme wrote:
nowhere near his best work
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vmkqube wrote:
Hyacinths and Thistles has annoying tags on it when played in Media Player, each track is a different artists combination instead of just "the 6ths".
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evil_laugher wrote:
I love "When I"m Out of Town", bb.
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videowineparty wrote:
does anyone know where i can download wasps nests?
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indy-kid wrote:
Why does no one like When I'm Out Of Town, it was great when I saw Magnetic Fields live.
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magnilex wrote:
"He didn't" is kind of a dream come true. A swett piano ballad by Stephin sung by my all time hero Bob Mould.
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OutOf_Time, marivaux32, johnntyler and 7 other people added The 6ths to their libraries. 2 hours ago
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