The Gothic Archies
Encyclopedia
The Gothic Archies are a self-described goth-bubblegum
band created and largely performed by Stephin Merritt
, more famously of The Magnetic Fields
. In 1997, Merritt released The New Despair
. The EP featured the song "Your Long White Fingers", which appeared frequently in the cult Nickelodeon
series The Adventures of Pete & Pete
. The band's name is apparently a pun
on the term "Gothic Arch
" and the Archies
.
The band later became more prominent as Merritt would write, perform and record songs for the audiobook versions of Lemony Snicket
's A Series of Unfortunate Events
. A collection of thirteen songs based on each book and two additional tracks was released as The Tragic Treasury
on October 10, 2006, to coincide with the release of the final book in the series. The Gothic Archies briefly toured to promote the album featuring Merritt on ukulele
and Daniel Handler
as Lemony Snicket
on accordion
. In 2002, The Gothic Archies composed original music for the audio book version of Neil Gaiman
's Coraline
.
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
band created and largely performed by Stephin Merritt
Stephin Merritt
Stephin Merritt is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles , best known as the principal singer and songwriter in the band The Magnetic Fields...
, more famously of The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields is the principal creative outlet of singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt...
. In 1997, Merritt released The New Despair
The New Despair
-Track listing:# "It's Useless to Struggle" - 2:30# "City of the Damned" - 1:41# "The Abandoned Castle of My Soul" - 3:12# "Your Long White Fingers" - 1:36# "Ever Falls the Twilight" - 3:43# "The Tiny Goat" - 1:48# "In a Cave" - 1:38-External links:...
. The EP featured the song "Your Long White Fingers", which appeared frequently in the cult Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
series The Adventures of Pete & Pete
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
The Adventures of Pete & Pete is an American children's television series produced by Wellsville Pictures and broadcast by Nickelodeon. The show featured humorous and surreal elements in its narrative, and many recurring themes centered on two brothers both named Pete Wrigley, and their various...
. The band's name is apparently a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
on the term "Gothic Arch
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
" and the Archies
The Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
.
The band later became more prominent as Merritt would write, perform and record songs for the audiobook versions of Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
's A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels by Lemony Snicket which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire...
. A collection of thirteen songs based on each book and two additional tracks was released as The Tragic Treasury
The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events is the second studio album by indie pop duo The Gothic Archies. It is a concept album whose songs are loosely based on the thirteen books of Daniel Handler's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events.The music, like the writing in the...
on October 10, 2006, to coincide with the release of the final book in the series. The Gothic Archies briefly toured to promote the album featuring Merritt on ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
and Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
as Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
on accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. In 2002, The Gothic Archies composed original music for the audio book version of Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's Coraline
Coraline
Coraline is a horror/fantasy novella by British author Neil Gaiman, published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and Harper Collins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella, the 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novella, and the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers...
.
Discography
- Looming in the GloomLooming in the GloomLooming in the Gloom is an EP released by The Gothic Archies. This album marks the first appearance of the all-Merritt macabre synthpop synonymous The Gothic Archies.-Production:...
(1996) - The New DespairThe New Despair-Track listing:# "It's Useless to Struggle" - 2:30# "City of the Damned" - 1:41# "The Abandoned Castle of My Soul" - 3:12# "Your Long White Fingers" - 1:36# "Ever Falls the Twilight" - 3:43# "The Tiny Goat" - 1:48# "In a Cave" - 1:38-External links:...
(1997) - The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate EventsThe Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate EventsThe Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events is the second studio album by indie pop duo The Gothic Archies. It is a concept album whose songs are loosely based on the thirteen books of Daniel Handler's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events.The music, like the writing in the...
(2006)
External links
- Official website at The House of Tomorrow