Eban & Charley

1	Mother 0:38
2	Cricket Problem 2:18
3	Some Sunny Day 1:46
4	O Tannenbaum 2:05
5	Poppyland 3:19
6	Drowned Sailors 1:37
7	Maria Maria Maria 4:26
8	Titles 1:28
9	This Little Ukulele 1:21
10	Tea Party 1:09
11	Tiny Flying Player Pianos 1:14
12	Mother Remembered 0:45
13	Victorian Robots 2:06
14	Water Torture 3:02
15	Greensleeves 2:46
16	Stage Rain 6:58

Barnes & Noble

Stephin Merritt secured his place in the top rank of contemporary songwriters with 69 Love Songs, his 1999 masterwork with the Magnetic Fields, which delivered exactly what the title promised. The wit and artistry of that three-disc collection of ostentatiously diverse songs garnered Merritt well-deserved comparisons to Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. For his first album after that grandiose project (and his first ever under his own name after projects with the 6ths, Future Bible Heroes, and Gothic Archies), it's understandable that he would want to reduce the scale. His soundtrack to James Bolton's film Eban & Charley contains its share of Merritt-created soundscapes and interludes, including nearly seven minutes of literal "Stage Rain" and echo-laden, spooky instrumental renditions of "O Tannenbaum" and "Greensleeves," but it also offers six new Merritt songs, and they are cause enough to rejoice. The amusing "This Little Ukulele" could be a miniature descendant of Love Songs' "Acoustic Guitar": "Well, an orchestra can tell you pretty stories, but this little ukulele tells the truth," Merritt sings in his dour baritone. The song is brilliantly funny, as is the audaciously tongue-twisting "Water Torture": " 'Teasing bees is easy,' wheezed Louise. 'These bees are teased.' Tease these, Louise." With its rolling rhythm and ABBA-esque melody, "Poppyland" hearkens back to the Magnetic Fields' sound of Get Lost, and "Maria Maria Maria" may be Merritt's loveliest tune yet. Eban & Charley is a welcome, if brief, reminder of Merritt's prodigious songwriting talents. Steve Klinge

All Music Guide

The soundtrack to the James Bolton film Eban & Charley is a nicely low-key and mildly gloomy affair, in keeping with the tenor of much of the music made by Merritt on his regular albums, whether under the Magnetic Fields banner or not. Certainly it's not as important or ambitious as his principal projects, but on the other hand there's less of the clever ostentatiousness that can sometimes drive you up the wall. Just six of the 16 tracks (which total up to just 36 minutes) are vocals, and these are good, if modest, downcast songs, like a mix of vintage Scott Walker and Leonard Cohen updated for the 21st century. The instrumental pieces are more ambient and usually employ environmental noises, nearly avant-garde experimental tinklings on an assortment of instruments, and sparser arrangements, including spooky renditions of "O Tannenbaum" and "Greensleeves." For those who are more appreciative of Merritt's pop inclinations, there are a few good standard songs, like "Some Summer Day," "Water Torture," and "Poppyland," that shouldn't be missed if you have the discretionary income, though a couple of the vocal numbers are brief and rather inconsequential. Richie Unterberger

Rolling Stone

1/2 "... If the movie is half as poignant as Merritt's soundtrack, cineplexes nationwide will soon be experiencing severe Kleenex shortages. Pat Blashill