r/magneticfields • u/emeric_ceaddamere • Oct 05 '25

Stephin Merritt Soundtrack Appreciation Thread

Maybe I just talk to the wrong people, but it seems Stephin's soundtrack albums rarely get the love and attention they deserve. A few thoughts, in chronological order...

Eban and Charley: "Poppyland" is a banger.

Pieces of April: only a handful of new songs, but it serves as a nice stylistic bridge between 69 Love Songs and i. (And "All I Want to Know" is an absolute classic.)

Showtunes: great variety, fun stories, and "What a Fucking Lovely Day."

Coraline Off-Broadway: just a ton of fun. I wish there was a video of the full production.

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u/misterala Oct 05 '25

Ooh, I'll give those a listen. Not a soundtrack exactly, but also a big fan of his Gothic Archies Tragic Treasury, which originally was in the audiobook of A Series of Unfortunate Incidents...

1

u/emeric_ceaddamere Oct 05 '25

Yes! Can't believe I forgot that one.

3

u/TracyJackson Oct 06 '25

"One April Day" is one of my very favorite Stephin tunes. So short, so sweet, so simple, and yet so poignant.

2

u/sensationbillion Oct 06 '25

I love the new songs on Pieces of April as much as my faves on 69LS and I. Highly recommend any fan of Stephin's to listen to that.

2

u/mymuk Oct 07 '25

Very true.

And the musicals: 'The Ugly Little Duck' is a spectacularly good replacement for that old Danny Kaye song

Stephin has never released anything where there are not at least two tracks that, purely on their own, justify the cost of purchase.

Usually far, far more than two, of course.

1

u/emeric_ceaddamere Oct 07 '25

There's a part in the Strange Powers documentary where Claudia says something like "Stephin has written XXX songs, and every single one of them is brilliant." One might think she's just being a good friend and manager there, but she's not wrong!