Hyacinths & Thistles
Product ID: 11341739
Product description NEW Combo BLUWAVS CD and FLAC FILE .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
J**E
heard the song you you you you you
in a movie i don't even remember the name of right now and thought to myself this is not a bad song kind of catchy and decided to roam through the music section of amazon and look for the cdfound it and picked it upall around not bad not bad indeed
A**L
buy for the lyrics
I think this album is by the same guy who formed the group Magnetic Fields. I never have loved his instrumentation but the lyrics are amazingly clever.
J**S
Five Stars
Great Price Love this CD
L**S
Great tunes.
Some of Stephin Merritt's finest melodies are on this album. Catchy and sophisticated.He puts great lyrics to great music.
B**E
Three Stars
Last track is a Burn.
R**M
Heartbreaking...
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.
S**S
One of the best bits of music I've purchased in the last couple ...
One of the best bits of music I've purchased in the last couple of decades. Front to back it's full-on genius. If you're looking for "something to dance to" or etc. it might not be your gig. It's a little more complicated than that...I won't even try to dissect it track by track as that would demean it.It's too incredibly lovely for dissection.
A**R
Blissful Melancholy
... this guy's good. I've been a fan of his for years, but I'm still amazed at how he can just punch out these melodic gems one after the other. I know a lot of people prefer the "Wasp's Nest" CD, but I think this is a stronger bunch of tunes."As You Turn To Go" is such a beautiful song. The music is heartbreakingly sweet, and the lyrics.. "Let there be a record of your gorgeous voice/the turn of phrase that filled my days with joy". Wow. This CD is littered with epiphanies, from Frank Black's rendering of "He Didn't" to the Marianne Faithfull meets Tom Waits world of "I've Got New York"... from the achingly soulful "Night Falls Like a Grand Piano" to "You You You You You". Hell, even Gary Numan shows up for a retro treat.He might be writing love songs to other guys, but.. that's cool. I'm just going to close my eyes and pretend that I'm singing all these songs to the girl who has stolen my heart - wherever she may be. Gay/straight, whatever - Stephin Merritt is who we all wish to be. He's a living, breathing Cyrano for the ages...
N**S
Beyond Perfect
An amazing collection of songs. First listen was so so, second listen I decided there were two perhaps three outstanding tracks, third listen I was captivated. It now ranks as an album I do not want to play too much so as to not get sick of it if that makes sense.
O**S
メンツが凄い
前作同様、「曲に合わせてゲストV.oを迎える」というコンセプトの下、作られたこのアルバム、洋楽ファンには馴染み(?)の豪華なメンツが揃いました。Momus、Bob Mould、Neil Hannon(ディヴァイン・コメディ) 羽鳥美保(チボ・マット)、懐かしのGary NumanにMarc Almond etc…。これだけでも聴く価値ありだと思いますが、前作以上に曲が良い。60s風メロディの前作に比べ、よりクラシックな佇まいの曲が多く、深みも増している。歌い手の選択も大正解。Gary NewmanやMarc Almondは自作曲の様にハマっている。お見事!
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