The Most Lamentable Tragedy
The Most Lamentable Tragedy is the fourth studio album by New Jersey punk rock band Titus Andronicus, released on July 28, 2015, through Merge Records. It is a rock opera in five acts that follows "Our Hero," a man who is visited by his doppelganger and goes through considerable life experiences and dream sequences, all acting as a metaphor for manic depression.
The Most Lamentable Tragedy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 28, 2015 | |||
Recorded | Sept. 1, 2014 - Feb. 16, 2015 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 92:36 | |||
Label | Merge | |||
Producer | Kevin McMahon & Adam Reich | |||
Titus Andronicus chronology | ||||
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Reception
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10[3] |
Metacritic | 79/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Alternative Press | [6] |
The A.V. Club | B+[7] |
Exclaim! | 9/10[8] |
The Guardian | [1] |
NME | 7/10[9] |
Pitchfork | 8.1/10[10] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
Spin | 8/10[12] |
Uncut | 9/10[13] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, TMLT has received an average score of 79, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Tiny Mix Tapes gave it a perfect 10/10, saying "TMLT feels like the Titus Andronicus record par excellence, it pushes and shoves at the boundaries of what such a record could or should conceivably sound like," while Pitchfork Media noted, "A 29-track, 93-minute rock opera that immediately restored their claims to outsized ambition, as only a 29-track, 93-minute rock opera might."
Accolades
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | #17[14] |
American Songwriter | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | #24[15] |
Consequence of Sound | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | #9[15] |
Spin (magazine) | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | #32[15] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Patrick Stickles and arranged by Titus Andronicus except "I Lost My Mind (DJ)" by Daniel Johnston, "A Pair of Brown Eyes" by Shane MacGowan and Auld Lang Syne (traditional)
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Angry Hour" | 1:42 |
2. | "No Future Part IV: No Future Triumphant" | 4:53 |
3. | "Stranded (On My Own)" | 4:24 |
4. | "Lonely Boy" | 5:21 |
5. | "I Lost My Mind (+@ )" | 4:18 |
6. | "Look Alive" | 0:33 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
7. | "The Magic Morning" | 1:00 |
8. | "Lookalike" | 0:48 |
9. | "I Lost My Mind (DJ)" | 1:36 |
10. | "Mr. E. Mann" | 3:49 |
11. | "Fired Up" | 4:05 |
12. | "Dimed Out" | 2:57 |
13. | "More Perfect Union" | 9:39 |
14. | "[ intermission ]" | 1:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sun Salutation" | 0:55 |
2. | "(S)HE SAID / (S)HE SAID" | 9:11 |
3. | "Funny Feeling" | 3:24 |
4. | "Fatal Flaw" | 3:27 |
5. | "Please" | 1:14 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "Come On, Siobhán" | 3:43 |
7. | "A Pair of Brown Eyes" | 3:16 |
8. | "Auld Lang Syne" | 1:46 |
9. | "I’m Going Insane (Finish Him)" | 1:58 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "The Fall" | 0:47 |
11. | "Into the Void (Filler)" | 4:36 |
12. | "No Future Part V: In Endless Dreaming" | 4:40 |
13. | "[ seven seconds ]" | 0:07 |
14. | "Stable Boy" | 6:52 |
15. | "A Moral" | 0:30 |
Total length: | 92:36 |
Charts
Chart (2015) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200[16] | 164 |
Personnel
Titus Andronicus
- Eric Harm – drums, vocals
- Jonah Maurer – guitar
- Adam Reich – lead guitar, vocals, percussion, organ, mandolin, glockenspiel
- Patrick Stickles – lead vocals, guitar, electronics, chord organ, harmonica, glockenspiel
- Julian Veronesi – bass guitar, vocals
Additional musicians
- Yoni David – percussion
- Elio DeLuca – piano, organ, electric piano
- Owen Pallett – violin, viola
- Ryan Weisheit – flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
- Alex Levine, Carrie-Anne Murphy, Catherine Herrick, Matthew Miller, R.J. Gordon, Ryan Levine – vocals
References
- Petridis, Alexis (July 23, 2015). "Titus Andronicus: The Most Lamentable Tragedy review – sprawling, wearying punk concept album". The Guardian. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- "Album Of The Week: Titus Andronicus - 'The Most Lamentable Tragedy'". Nbhap.com. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- "The Most Lamentable Tragedy by Titus Andronicus reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- "Reviews for The Most Lamentable Tragedy by Titus Andronicus". Metacritic. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- Deming, Mark. "The Most Lamentable Tragedy – Titus Andronicus". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- Ham, Robert (August 10, 2015). "Titus Andronicus: The Most Lamentable Tragedy". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on May 21, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- Brusie, David (July 31, 2015). "A shaky concept can't overshadow the infectious energy of Titus Andronicus". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- Williams, Matt (July 22, 2015). "Titus Andronicus: The Most Lamentable Tragedy". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- "8 Great Albums That May Have Passed You By This Week". NME. July 27, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- Gordon, Jeremy (July 27, 2015). "Titus Andronicus: The Most Lamentable Tragedy". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- Hermes, Will (July 29, 2015). "The Most Lamentable Tragedy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- Leas, Ryan (July 27, 2015). "Review: Titus Andronicus Make the Excessive Impressive on 'The Most Lamentable Tragedy'". Spin. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- Pattison, Louis (October 1, 2015). "Titus Andronicus – The Most Lamentable Tragedy". Uncut. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". Stereogum.com. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
- "Ground Control Touring Artists on Best of 2015 Lists « News & Press | Ground Control Touring". Ground Control Touring.
- "Titus Andronicus Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2015.