Tragic Realism, the hi-fi debut by New York ensemble LD & the New Criticism, features 16 original rollicking pop songs (no, really!) about cheating, lying, f***ing, stealing, murder, suicide, revenge and other natural disasters both public and private. Tragic Realism's baroque-hoedown swirl will set your toes a-tappin' even as you're wondering why it is you're laughing out loud at someone else's dire misfortune. Colored with Beghtol's glossy Brill Building pop sensibilities, Tragic Realism is sure to please those whose taste includes everything from the Carter Family and George Jones to REM and Unwound, with some Happy Goodman Family and Cheap Trick thrown in just to trip you up. It's like a liquored-up zydeco wedding band lost inside your iPod. With liner notes by bestselling horror novelist Peter Straub. Darla. 2005.