Stephin Merritt to release rarities collection in August

Stephin Merritt and his highly acclaimed band The Magnetic Fields may have parted ways with Merge Records after the release of their groundbreaking triple album 69 Love Songs, released in 1999, but his relationship with the label did not end.

The Magnetic Fields played a stellar set for the labels XX Merge festival in 2009 (see photos and a review HERE), and now Merge will release a collection of Merritt's previously released and hard-to-find recordings from 1994 to 1999. Some of the songs are solo, some are Magnetic Fields songs and there's a track each from Merritt's other projects The 6ths, Buffalo Rome and The Gothic Archies.

The album is titled Obscurities and will be released on August 23. Download the leadoff track "Forever and a Day" from the album below.

Stephin Merritt - "Forever and a Day" (mp3)

Obscurities track list
1. Forever and a Day (previously unreleased)
2. Rats in the Garbage of the Western World (The Magnetic Fields)
3. I Don’t Believe You (The Magnetic Fields)
4. Plant White Roses (Buffalo Rome)
5. Rot in the Sun (the 6ths)
6. The Sun and the Sea and the Sky (previously unreleased)
7. Yet Another Girl (the 6ths)
8. Scream (Till you Make the Scene) (previously unreleased)
9. The Song from Venus (previously unreleased)
10. Beach-A-Boop-Boop (The Magnetic Fields)
11. When I’m Not Looking, You’re Not There (The Magnetic Fields)
12. Take Ecstasy with Me (The Magnetic Fields)
13. When You’re Young and In Love (previously unreleased)
14. You Are Not My Mother and I Want to Go Home (The Gothic Archies)