"When I'm Out of Town" is the correct answer. Knox's performance is touching, and musically it's both droney and shimmery. There's a nice performance of it on YT by the Magnetic Fields:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkz0UruvXSc
― Kent Burt, Saturday, 19 March 2011 18:02 (thirteen years ago) link
Personally, I'm all about "Pillow Fight," "Puerto Rican Way" and "You Can't Break a Broken Heart." But there's a lot of quality to choose from.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 19 March 2011 21:43 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm a little surprised by how much I've come to loath SM over the years. Anyway, San Diego Zoo.
― dlp9001, Saturday, 19 March 2011 21:49 (thirteen years ago) link
Agreed on the loathing, actually. His self-loathing always vied with contempt, but as his ego got bigger so did said contempt. Total financial and creative independence hasn't done his demeanor any favors.
Anyone heard any of the hilarious Stephin Merritt getting courted by major labels tales (perhaps c. this album)? Lots of him leaving to go to the bathroom mid meeting and never returning, or standing and leaving in the middle of a pitch.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 19 March 2011 22:02 (thirteen years ago) link
SM is a total dick, no doubt about that. He's still incredibly talented, though. Fortunately I've been able to keep his attitude from that influencing my listening to the music.
― daavid, Monday, 21 March 2011 00:16 (thirteen years ago) link
pretty great album -- both "san diego zoo" and "falling out of love with you" are perfect songs.
― tylerw, Monday, 21 March 2011 01:40 (thirteen years ago) link
i like most of these songs quite a bit. never liked the dean wareham one though, and winter in july is a bit annoying.
going for dream hat, my favourite mac vocal
― Love, M.D. (electricsound), Monday, 21 March 2011 01:44 (thirteen years ago) link
chris knox would be #2
― Love, M.D. (electricsound), Monday, 21 March 2011 01:45 (thirteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Monday, 18 April 2011 23:01 (thirteen years ago) link
Gosh this is hard. Definitely think of this and Charm of the Highway Strip as the best-sounding Merritt-related records. Comes down to San Diego Zoo or Pillow Fight for me. Hmmmm.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Monday, 18 April 2011 23:19 (thirteen years ago) link
They made sounds much like drumsI was young, you were dumbNow you're older and I'm wiserWe design synthesizers
― da croupier, Tuesday, 19 April 2011 11:15 (thirteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Tuesday, 19 April 2011 23:01 (thirteen years ago) link
Happy to see "All Dressed Up in Dreams" get a vote too.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Tuesday, 19 April 2011 23:58 (thirteen years ago) link
there are no bad songs on this album.
― tɹi.ʃɪp (Treeship), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 16:27 (ten years ago) link
does anybody know what happened to stephin merritt this century that made his schtick become so rancid? whenever i return to these early albums i am always struck by just how good they are. just the right balance of joy and wistfulness, genuine sentiment and distancing self-irony.
― tɹi.ʃɪp (Treeship), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 16:33 (ten years ago) link
Well said. The second 6ths album is good as well but not at this level. After "69 Love Songs" I liked "i" and some of "Distortion" but otherwise, shtick is the right word.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 20 November 2013 16:44 (ten years ago) link
The man in the forestThe dashing young floristThe nurse musclebound
― JoeStork, Friday, 23 August 2019 21:45 (four years ago) link
surprised that San Diego Zoo ran away with this poll, I love it but I’d say the Timony, Knox, and Wareham tracks are just as good.
Robert Scott’s vocals are uncharacteristically terrible on “Heaven in a Black Leather Jacket,” which is otherwise great.
― JoeStork, Friday, 23 August 2019 21:48 (four years ago) link
Apparently there was a music video for "San Diego Zoo": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_IRXRUDgxw
― ernestp, Saturday, 16 May 2020 10:47 (three years ago) link
You voted Dream Hat downI shake my head about your tasteYou voted Dream Hat downShould have finished in first place
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Saturday, 16 May 2020 11:31 (three years ago) link
wow @ no votes for "Movies in My Head"
― last updated a group of five done twelve times ago (geoffreyess), Saturday, 16 May 2020 21:00 (three years ago) link
Just found my fake 6ths tracklist from 2009, it's still mostly possible!
Asks Asps1. And Didn't We Have Fun (w/ Agnetha Faltskog)2. Sunspots on the Moon (w/ Andy Bell)3. Learning Not to Love You (w/ Daryl Hall)4. Wish You Were Me (w/ Terence Trent D'Arby)5. The Day of Your Ceremony (w/ Alan Sparhawk)6. He Done Him Wrong (w/ Torquil Campbell)7. Rainshowers (w/ Poly Styrene)8. I Waited For You to Bring Me A Cat (w/ Satomi Matsuzaki)9. She Asks Asps the Way to Aspen (w/ Martin Phillipps)10. Losing Ampersands (w/ Alison Moyet)11. Thorn In My Neck (w/ Patrick Wolf)12. I Don't (w/ Sam Phillips)13. Feathers (Where Your Head Should Be) (w/ Alison Shaw)14. Museums Could Be Us (w/ Michelle Phillips)15. Ages & Pages (w/ Steve Harley)
― last updated a group of five done twelve times ago (geoffreyess), Saturday, 16 May 2020 21:03 (three years ago) link
Weird, I had no idea that the Ayako Akashiba who sang on this was the same who did vox for (the german synth-gaze band) Guitar. I wonder how she got on SM's radar at the time? Her first band (Sunshower) is/was reasonably obscure, even in Japan.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Saturday, 16 May 2020 21:42 (three years ago) link
(neither their band nor album name show up in any results on the ilx servers)
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Saturday, 16 May 2020 21:44 (three years ago) link
There is so much OTT reverse reverb on this I'm surprised it hasn't been retconned into the shoegaze canon.
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 6 February 2024 03:54 (three months ago) link
the only Stephen Merritt project I've bothered to hold onto
what super random thread will Steve Shasta revive next
― famous instagram dog (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 6 February 2024 04:00 (three months ago) link
This remains my fave Merritt as well.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 6 February 2024 04:12 (three months ago) link
Oh my dear Shakey: kindly come to the NOIZE BOARD where I am drawing lines between North Macedonian choral hymns in 7/8 meter to Grateful Dead hippie jambz.
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 6 February 2024 05:03 (three months ago) link
shakey . . . lives? <3
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 6 February 2024 05:14 (three months ago) link
my favorite Merritt, too!
can't believe "All Dressed Up in Dreams" got ONE vote
― alpine static, Tuesday, 6 February 2024 06:47 (three months ago) link
Love this album. I could easily vote for about half the tracks.
― cajunsunday, Tuesday, 6 February 2024 09:42 (three months ago) link
the chord changes on “pillow fight” are otherworldly, I don’t known they move me so
― brimstead, Tuesday, 6 February 2024 15:21 (three months ago) link
I don’t known know why
https://i.discogs.com/m9a2wnQF8hw4AWz-H0K7fbFoqnblDxxVHpsZmLp4-uw/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:584/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTQxODU5/NC0xNDQ4NDg2NTA0/LTk3NTcuanBlZw.jpeg
― mizzell, Tuesday, 6 February 2024 15:59 (three months ago) link