The gems of Stephin Merritt's 'Oscurities'

Although his voice is almost absurdly deep and monotonous, and he favors Space Invaders-style sound effects in lieu of guitar solos, the prolific, erudite Stephin Merritt may well be the Cole Porter of his generation. All 14 of the '90s rarities and previously unreleased tracks on "Obscurities" (Merge) -- including outtakes from his band Magnetic Fields' 1999 masterpiece "69 Love Songs" and hard-to-find singles -- deserved more prominent placement. "I Don't Believe You" begins, "So you quote-love-unquote me/Well, stranger things have come to be." And things get better from there: "You Are Not My Mother and I Want to Go Home," from the "Coraline" audiobook soundtrack, hilariously updates Dr. Seuss.

'Obscurities'

GRADE A-

BOTTOM LINE Another glimpse of a great songwriter during his best period