I'm not obsessed, I swear.

Stephin is the best though. <3

I'll give them a try soon too (after I've cleaned up my iTunes library properly), all the praise that is coming from Avery & the gang has set my expectations high.

It should be interesting because I've never been too enamored with any indie music.

Where's your list Timi?

I won't be making a list for two reasons:

1. My biggest favourites aren't anything too interesting or special, all albums grow slowly (but steadily) on me
2. Some of my favourites change every week (and there are simply too many of them)

At the moment, this is why I'm not that keen on making my own list. (Maybe someday though?) I like checking out others' lists though, lots of good new artists in them.

In terms of what you think about with regards to sound and not about labels or whatever it was supposed to originally represent but doesn't anymore:

It's not really indie music. It's basically just pop music.

Just downloaded this, I'm not really one who has expanded their music vocabulary to modern pop yet. Should be fun.

I actually prefer their first 2 albums, but 69LS is a much better introduction for fans of rock/folk music. Their first 2 albums are far more synth-based pop and are very ABBA-influenced.

don't listen to 69 love songs like you would do with canon rock stuff. it's massive. listen to it a CD at a time, or even some songs sporadically here and there. it'll grow on you.

or as avery says, i could just recommend 'The wayward bus/distance plastic trees' for a double dose of stephen merritt's brilliance

Sounds interesting. Also, say what you say, people, ABBA were one extremely good band, as far as melodies go. Their melodies still remain some of the catchiest and most memorable ever created!

If you can't get down to a bit of ABBA, I can't get down with you.

This Claudia Gonson girl, did she do anything with any other bands? Her voice sounds painfully familiar.

Personally, I think the best way to listen to it is just have a playlist of all 69 songs and put it on shuffle.

I agree it's not an album that's designed to be listened to from start to finish though, but neither is it an album that's designed to be listened to from start to finish particularly (in the CD booklet, the tracks are listed in alphabetical order, not track order).

I think one of the main points about it was that it was supposed to be an antidote to the rock canon opinion that you have to listen to albums in order and can't take from it what you want. Instead, it's more a case of being a collection of a LOT of really great individual songs, rather than really being an actual album. You're supposed to play them as you wish. I mean it has more great songs on it than in some legendary artists' (Joy Division, Nick Drake, The Stone Roses etc.) entire discography.

Like dreamcoil says though, it's an album that has that grows on you, of course, if you don't want a "grower" then that's not for everyone which is perfectly fine, but it's one that is well worth it when it does. I've been listening to it for 4 or 5 years and there are still new songs which jump out at me, I've only just realised just how stunning "Abigail, Belle of Kilronin" actually is.

ABBA are pretty much the best singles band ever imo. If you can appreciate ABBA I think you'll love their first two albums.



Only other Stephin Merritt's projects.

This is the most confusing sentence I've ever read