The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Children's discs, like cartoons, sometimes work on a couple of different levels, but those levels are usually predictable--the pop-culture reference that flies over a slack-jawed fourth grader's head while garnering a chuckle from her parent, for example, or the double-entendre that's decidedly singular in the eyes of a 6-year-old child. The Tragic Treasury, the companion disc to Daniel Handler's creepily addictive Lemony Snicket series of books, is in a whole different league: 11-year-olds and the adults who hover over them, waiting for their own chance to devour each title, will love its verisimilitude--songs like "Scream and Run Away" and "Smile! No One Cares How You Feel" couldn't have been concocted for anything else--and indie-rock types, be they 19 or 62, will love its drearily exceptional hipness. Whether you know your grim grottos from your vile villages and hostile hospitals (all Snicket titles) couldn't matter less: if artful gloom-leaning pop grabs you, this disc gives up the goods, and of a quality you won't find anywhere else besides a handful of less-inspired Gothic Archies releases. As most non-Snicketeers inclined to pick up The Tragic Treasury know, Stephen Merritt--he of the equally excellent Magnetic Fields--is responsible; a few accordion contributions from Handler himself aside, he alone is the merry Goth man. He also writes a mean lyric, and luckily for Snicket loyalists, they're included in liner notes here. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description
This musical companion to bestselling novelist Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is comically creepy fun for children of all ages. The Gothic Archies is a musical project of Stephin Merritt, the songwriter best known for his band the Magnetic Fields. The album, entitled The Tragic Treasury, features music originally recorded for the audiobooks of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Tragic Treasury contains 13 songs corresponding to the 13 books in the series, with two additional bonus tracks also inspired by the series. All music is performed by the Gothic Archies, with Lemony Snicket accompanying on accordion. The Tragic Treasury is being released October 10, 2006, in conjunction with the final Lemony Snicket book, The End.

Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Strange, twisted, and funny October 14, 2006
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

I saw this live October 22, 2006
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

The Gothic Archies' strongest outing yet... October 11, 2006
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

...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!

4 out of 5 stars

Stands on its Own Merits!! October 30, 2006
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

I may not be a kid, but I know when something is fun! If you're a parent, then you are probably familiar with "A Series of Unfortunate Events." I haven't read a single one of the books from this series, but my son read all thirteen (and counting?), so there is obviously something about their humor and style that is addictive. The same can be said of "The Tragic Treasury," a collection of clever songs inspired by the book series. Grown-ups may know Stephin Merritt as the brains behind Magnetic Fields, his ambitious recording nom-de-plume that a few years back offered a fabulous 3-disk set called "69 Love Songs." The literacy and deadpan emotional investment of that collection earned "69 Love Songs" a place on many critics `best of' lists. Since then, his chameleonic nature has him peeking from behind corners under various guises, including the 6ths and Future Bible Heroes. The Gothic Archies is simply his latest, and funniest, disguise, as a composer with a penchant for black humor.
So we have a conundrum. Kids know the books but not the musician. A few discerning adults know the artist but not the book series. So, let's address that situation immediately; Kids don't need to know the musician to recognize the humorous tone of these songs, and adults don't need to read the books to be hooked, either. These songs may work great as an accompaniment to the young adult books, but the songs are genuinely entertaining in their own right. As I said, I never read a single volume, but there are points when Merritt makes me laugh out loud. Heck, just reading the band-name makes me laugh. Here's just a sampling of his lyrical style, taken from a rhythmic carnival ride entitled "The World Is a Very Scary Place";
"The world is a very scary place, I hear.
It's hurled and it's twirled through outer space, I fear.
So many ways to lose your skin in it
The number of ways to die is infinite."
Maudlin? Sure, but its bleakness is exactly what makes it so entertaining. Elsewhere, he addresses the `Gothic' mentality with such wit that it would disarm the most dedicated misanthrope. Using a lyrical structure that you may recognize from an old hit song designed to cheer people up, he sings
"Smile, no one cares how you feel.
Be vicious, vain and vile.
Everything's yours to steal if you'll just smile".
Sung in a stately baritone that is at times spooky but always wry, Merritt is a veritable king of deadpan comedy. I figured "A Series of Unfortunate Events"" to be kid stuff, but if "The Tragic Treasury" accurately reflects the tone of the books, I'm wrong. Dead wrong.A-Tom Ryan

5 out of 5 stars

Really fun and creepy December 28, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

...I blasted this music on my front porch for Halloween this year. It scared kids away.

This is really clever, creepy and fun.

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