One story has it that the band was conceived when Merritt, observing that there was no tribute album dedicated to him, decided to make one himself. The concept is that Merritt writes songs which are then played and sung by other artists, different ones on each track. It has so far produced two well-received albums and many bizarre collabarations. Some of the more notable artists to have made appearances are Bob Mould, Neil Hannon, Gary Numan, Marc Almond and the accomplished toy piano player Margaret Leng Tan.
The two albums released to date are Wasp's Nests (1995) and Hyacinths and Thistles (1999).