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100,000 Fireflies
"100,000 Fireflies" is the first single by the American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, taken from their first studio album ''Distant Plastic Trees'', released in 1991. It is known for its bleak, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and black humour and for Susan Anway's sparse, soprano vocal performance. The song saw play on alternative and college radio stations on its release and slowly grew into a cult classic, becoming "the ultimate staple" of indie mixtape culture during the 1990s. Because of its re-release in 1995 as part of the 2 for 1 ''Distant Plastic Trees/The Wayward Bus ''The Wayward Bus'' is a novel by American author John Steinbeck, published in 1947. The novel's epigraph is a passage from 15th-century English play ''Everyman (15th-century play), Everyman'', with its archaic English intact; the quotation refe ...'' album, ''Glide'' magazine named it the second best modern rock song of the previous decade in 2004. Music critic Tom Ewing ranked the song at number 11 in his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel ''Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as frequent multi-instrumentalist. Merritt's lyrics are often about love and feature atypical or neutral gender roles, and are by turns ironic, tongue-in-cheek, bitter, and humorous. The band released their debut single "100,000 Fireflies" in 1991. The single was typical of the band's earlier career, characterized by synthesizer, synthesized instrumentation by Merritt, with lead vocals provided by Susan Anway (and then by Stephin Merritt himself, from the ''The House of Tomorrow (album), House of Tomorrow'' EP onwards). A more traditional band later materialized; it is now composed of Merritt, Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, and John Woo, with occasional guest vocals by Shirley Simms. The band's best-known work is the 1999 three-vol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Distant Plastic Trees
''Distant Plastic Trees'' is the debut studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released in 1991. Lead vocals on the album are performed by Susan Anway. The album is noteworthy for its stripped down sound and largely synthesized instrumentation. Stephin Merritt himself described the album as a "small record, intentionally small" and heavily inspired by Young Marble Giants. The song "Babies Falling" is a cover of a song by The Wild Stares. Release ''Distant Plastic Trees'' was originally released in Japan and the United Kingdom on the RCA Victor and Red Flame labels, respectively. The album was released in the United States on the band's own imprint, PoPuP. Merge Records reissued the album in 1994 as a double album compilation with the band's second album, ''The Wayward Bus''. The song "Plant White Roses" was omitted from the Merge reissue. Reception ''The New Rolling Stone Album Guide'' wrote that the first two albums "showcase sexually ambiguous lyrics, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twee Pop
Twee pop is a subgenre of indie pop that originates from the 1986 ''NME'' compilation ''C86''. Characterised by its simplicity and perceived innocence, some of its defining features are boy–girl harmonies, catchy melodies, and lyrics about love. For many years, prominent independent record labels associated with twee pop were Sarah Records (in the UK) and K Records (in the US). Characteristics The definition of twee is something "excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental", supposedly born from a childish mispronunciation of the word sweet. A retrospective fascination with the genre in the US saw Americans eagerly defining themselves as twee. According to ''The A.V. Club''s Paula Mejia: AllMusic says that twee pop is "perhaps best likened to bubblegum indie rock – it's music with a spirit of D.I.Y. defiance in the grand tradition of punk, but with a simplicity and innocence not seen or heard since the earliest days of rock & roll". The author Marc Spitz sugg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indie Pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, Independent record label, label, and club and gig circuit. Compared to its counterpart, indie rock, the genre is more melodic, less abrasive, and relatively angst-free. In later years, the definition of ''indie pop'' has bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes/movements with pop leanings. Subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop. Development and characteristics Origins and etymology Both ''indie'' and ''indie pop'' had originally referred to the same thing during the late 1970s. Inspired more by punk rock's DIY ethos than its style, guitar bands were formed on the then-novel premise that one could record and release their own music instead of having to procure a record contra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harriet Records
Harriet Records was an American independent record label based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The label was founded by Harvard history professor Tim Alborn in 1989 in music, 1989. The label was named for the children's book ''Harriet the Spy''. The majority of Harriet's releases were indie pop 7" gramophone record, vinyl singles, but eventually they started releasing full length CDs. Harriet gave a number of notable artists their start. John Darnielle, Wimp Factor 14, My Favorite, Crayon, band, Crayon, Six Cents and Natalie, Tullycraft, and The Magnetic Fields all released early records on Harriet. After forty-five singles and ten CDs Harriet shut its doors in 1998 in music, 1998. Discography * 1 High Risk Group - Flag (7") Nov 1989 * 2 Fertile Virgin - Lucky Day (7") May 1990 * 3 Linda Smith (home recording singer-songwriter), Linda Smith - Gorgeous Weather (7") May 1990 * 4 Scarlet Drops - Sweet Happiness (7") Sep 1990 * 5 Wimp Factor 14 - Train Song (7") Mar 1991 * 6 High Ris ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephin Merritt
Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the songwriter and principal singer of the bands the Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. He is known for his distinctive and untrained bass voice.Grow, Kory. "Stephen Merritt: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. October 30, 2015. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/stephin-merritt-my-life-in-15-songs-20151030/alien-being-20151023Felicia Barr and Bill McKenna (Eds.). "Stephen Merritt: 50 Songs for 50 Years". BBC News. December 5, 2016. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-38188073/stephin-merritt-50-songs-for-50-years Musical projects Merritt created and plays principal roles in the bands the Magnetic Fields, the 6ths, the Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes. He briefly used the name ''The Baudelaire Memorial Orchestra'' as an attribution for "Scream and Run Away", a song written for Lemony Snicke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cult Classic
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. A film, book, musical artist, television series, or video game, among other things, is said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fanbase. A common component of cult followings is the emotional attachment the fans have to the object of the cult following, often identifying themselves and other fans as members of a community. Cult followings are also commonly associated with niche markets. Cult media are often associated with underground culture, and are considered too eccentric or anti-establishment to be appreciated by the general public or to be widely commercially successful. Many cult fans express their devotion with a level of irony when describing entertainment that falls under this realm, in that something ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wayward Bus (album)
''The Wayward Bus'' is the second studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released in 1992 by the band's own label, PoPuP Records. As with the band's first release, ''Distant Plastic Trees'', Susan Anway sings lead vocals on ''The Wayward Bus. The Wayward Bus'' is the last album featuring Anway, as she left the band to move interstate; Stephin Merritt subsequently assumed vocal duties. Merritt composed all of the album's songs but collaborated with a number of other musicians in recording the album, and they play various acoustic instruments. ''The Wayward Bus'' is unlike ''Distant Plastic Trees'' in this regard; the earlier album was synthesiser-based, and this synthesised instrumentation was performed exclusively by Merritt''.'' Merritt acknowledged the influence of Phil Spector on the first half of the album: "It's a comment about Phil Spector songs. The second half is whatever I had lying around. Most people listen just to the first half of the record an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1991 Songs
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines, making it the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century; MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa, but the crew notoriously abandons the vessel before the passengers are rescued; Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Soviet flag is lowered from the Kremlin for the last time and replaced with the flag of the Russian Federation; The United States and soon-to-be dissolved Soviet Union sign the START I Treaty; A tropical cyclone strikes Bangladesh, killing nearly 140,000 people; Lauda Air Flight 004 crashes after one of its thrust reversers activates during the flight; A United States-led coalition initiates Operation Desert Storm to remove Iraq and Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, 300x300px, thumb rect 0 0 200 200 1991 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1991 Debut Singles
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines, making it the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century; MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa, but the crew notoriously abandons the vessel before the passengers are rescued; Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Soviet flag is lowered from the Kremlin for the last time and replaced with the flag of the Russian Federation; The United States and soon-to-be dissolved Soviet Union sign the START I Treaty; A tropical cyclone strikes Bangladesh, killing nearly 140,000 people; Lauda Air Flight 004 crashes after one of its thrust reversers activates during the flight; A United States-led coalition initiates Operation Desert Storm to remove Iraq and Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, 300x300px, thumb rect 0 0 200 200 199 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
