There hasn't been a Gothic Archies release since their original EP in 1997. This gag band, a side project of the ever amazing Stephin Merritt, is better than a lot of serious bands. They play extremely dreary music, or as Merritt himself says, "What makes this band different from The Magnetic Fields is that any glimmer of hope is absolutely extinguished."

I guess it's only fitting that the new album, The Tragic Treasury, is a soundtrack to those most morose of children's tales, Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. Devotees of The Magnetic Fields will recall that Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) has played accordion for Merritt on several occasions.

watch Scream and Run Away [myspace]
download Smile! No One Cares How You Feel [zshare] | buy The Tragic Treasury