The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events

Gothic Archies, Lemony Snicket, Stephin Merritt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 10, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000HDRAMG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,047 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gothic Archies' strongest outing yet..., October 10, 2006

By 

R. P. Caudill (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events (Audio CD)

...and one of Stephin Merritt's most memorable, and by far the funniest. On this album he is doing what he does best: being a glum old curmudgeon-popster with tongue wedged squarely in cheek. No knowledge of the Lemony Snicket books is needed. There are a number of direct references in several of the songs, but the lyrics stand on their own quite well, particular in numbers such as Freakshow, Shipwrecked, How Do You Slow This Thing Down?, and A Million Mushrooms. Expect an expertly crafted mixture of glum yet surprisingly catchy arrangements coupled with more of Merritt's hilariously morose lyrics. Highly recommended!

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strange, twisted, and funny, October 13, 2006

By 

Ron Heck - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events (Audio CD)

The second I heard the song, "Crows," I knew I had to own this album. I know nothing of Lemony Snicket books, but I've a been a Magnetic Fields fan for awhile. So, after very awkwardly browsing the childrens' section at the bookstore, I was able to find a copy of this really great album. I was very happily surprised to find that this CD is more in line with Merritt's great early nineties albums (like Holiday, Wasps' Nests, and The New Despair) rather than i or (shudder) Showtunes. This is a great mix of synths and traditional instruments (if you consider an electric sitar "traditional"). The lyrics are very depressing/weird/funny/moving depending on the song, though some are all four.

Even though I did my research on this album before I got it, I'm stilll astonished as to how good it really is. I wasn't excited for the next Magnetic Fields album next Spring, but now I am. The only thing I can equate this to is when another great indie artist, Mark Mulcahy, put out a disc of Polaris songs for The Adventure of Pete and Pete (they're completely different save for sheer quality). I can't say for sure if Lemony Snicket fans will really dig these songs as much as I do, since I'm already a fan. However, I haven't read any of the Snicket books, but now I really want to.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I saw this live, October 21, 2006

By 

C. Rollins (East Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events (Audio CD)

I had the great "misfortune" to see some of these tunes performed live by Daniel Handler (on accordian) and Stephin Merrit (Lemony Snicket was supposed to play percussion but he was detained... long story... you get it if you know about the books). It was the greatest thing I have ever seen! If you have the chance to catch Lemony Snicket on tour, do it! And get the CD, you will be very, very firmly depressed and miserable. It's the perfect accompaniment to this series.