Anything On Your Mind?
It’s part two of Five-o-ween, which I instantly regret typing. But eh, what are you going to do? It’s not like I can edit this!
Anyway, if you missed yesterday, I decided to write up some seasonally appropriate records for Halloween. Yesterday was metal, and I have to say, while a lot of those records are scary, none of them are going to get your party rockin’. Today, I’m going to tackle more atmospheric stuff, and let’s see if you can play any of these in polite company.
[Editor Josh here, and I have to say that after reading through this, none of these are going to get your party rockin’ either except maybe Front 242. Unless it’s a very specific kind of party, in which case Skinny Puppy or Coil might also get your crowd moving. I’d say we’ll try it again next time, but I’m starting to realize that I perhaps have lost any skill I might once have had for bumping a party, and it’ll probably be another batch of desolate baloney.]
Gimme Some Spooky Shit, But Maybe Dial It Back A Little Bit, Hey?
A sampling of some Halloween appropriate atmospheric records, whatever that means.
Hellraiser Themes, Coil
Scatology, Coil
Look, I’m going to level with you. The whole reason I picked the “atmospheric” category for today was just to write about Coil. I just wrote about Horse Rotorvator a few weeks ago, otherwise I would also have picked that record. The bare truth is that you can really play anything from Coil’s early years, it’s all spooky. What I’ve picked out here is the most obvious record, which doesn’t make it a bad pick. Coil was hired to write music for Hellraiser, and their music was supposedly rejected by the producers for being “too dark”. That music was eventually released as an EP, and it’s perfect for Halloween. Really, just fire it up.
If for some reason, you don’t want that, and you’ve already listened to Horse Rotorvator a bunch, I’ll recommend their first record, Scatology. Flat out, it’s a masterpiece, and also ineffably creepy. Play it also.
Coil rules.
Drawings of Patient O.T., Einstürzende Neubauten
The other band I was thinking about when I decided to do this was Neubauten. Again, especially with their early work, there’s a spine of creepiness running through their work that makes it great for the season. Among that group, I think this album has the right balance of noise, chaos, unpredictability, and enough song structure to really work for your seasonal needs. The truth is, I could pack this blog with a bunch of early industrial (and industrial-related records) and it would be perfect as it is. And I still might do that! No Bandcamp, but you can listen to it here.
Auto Da Fe, SPK
Australian industrial band SPK were always kind of on the fringes of things, and never really achieved even the relative fame of bands like Neubauten, Coil, Throbbing Gristle, or others that are recognized as the pioneers. They melded dance music into the sound, similar to Cabaret Voltaire, in a way that would get echoed a lot of other bands from the late 80s. Anyway, this stuff, with the noise, distortion, and general atmosphere fits with the season for sure. And if you haven’t heard them, you’ve got an interesting early band in industrial to try out.
Tyranny >For You<, Front 242
I wrote about Front by Front a little while ago, otherwise that might have been the pick. But among the various followers of the dancier strain of industrial (tracing back to Cabaret Voltaire and SPK and the like), Front 242 are probably the ones who were able to best maintain a more serious atmosphere. Like, yes, there’s a certain Belgian sweatiness to all this that is unavoidable, but also? This record sounds pretty darn good still. All those dark synths and distant vocals, that’s the good stuff.
Rabies, Skinny Puppy
Oops! All industrial! Anyway, Skinny Puppy wasn’t part of the first wave of industrial acts, but quickly became stalwarts of the scene. From the beginning, they were obsessed with horror and it came through not just in their vocals and songs but just in the sounds that they use. There’s such an ugly edge to most of the noises on their albums that permeates through everything they do. It all really does sound like it could be in the score of a horror movie. They were true masters of atmosphere. Anyway, this isn’t my favorite record of theirs (that’s Too Dark Park), but I would be remiss if I didn’t bring them up for Five-o-ween. Oh no, it’s sticking!
EVOL, Sonic Youth
Can I throw in a wild card? I know, I’ve got a theme going, but this record from Sonic Youth always struck me as sort of a creepy record somehow. I don’t know why! It just is. It’s a record that puts me in mind for the season. I’m sure everybody reading this knows Sonic Youth well, so just consider this a reminder to throw on this record. Never a bad idea to play Sonic Youth.
20 Jazz Funk Greats, Throbbing Gristle
All right, back into the factory. Throbbing Gristle were the original pioneers of industrial, literally creating Industrial Records (although they didn’t come up with the name originally). Their approach was really rooted in performance art and anti-music, searching for ways to try new things, new sounds, new instruments, and new approaches. Confrontational and experimental, they restlessly changed their sounds and approaches from record to record, so you can’t really say what you’re going to expect from any of their albums. But, this is the consensus best record, so it’s probably the right one to highlight here. It lives up to my brief for this blog, as an atmospheric record appropriate for the season, and get ready to be surprised by what you’re about to hear after you read that this is the original industrial band.
Mirror Reaper, Bell Witch
Yes, yes, this is metal. But it’s a funeral doom record, so it’s stretched alllll the way out, as a single 83 minute track. It’s also written as a farewell to their friend, so it’s also seasonally appropriate. When you get to funeral doom, with the very slow pace, I think you’re really moving into an atmospheric area rather than a metallic feeling, even if it’s recognizable as being from the metal family tree. I think it counts!
Five Random Songs
Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.
“Dummy Up”, Screeching Weasel
I’m not sure it was really necessary to buy that seventh Screeching Weasel record, you know?
“Break”, DJ Food
A Coldcut side-project, DJ Food was originally intended to provide breaks to DJs (hence, food for DJs). It evolved into more of a proper DJ project, although it retained a certain stripped down nature and was very DJ-centric. This can be pretty heady, and if you aren’t in it to just sort of admire the construction of the tracks, it’ll probably leave you a little cold. Still, I think it’s fun. This comes from the second proper record from the band (Kaleidoscope), as opposed to the break libraries.
“Suite no. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante”, Yo-Yo Ma
If I don’t know shit about jazz (and I do not), I don’t have the words to capture how little I know about classical.
(NB: technically, this isn’t the same recording that I have. But it’s unaccompanied Yo-Yo Ma playing the same song, so eh, close enough.)
“Hamburger Martyr”, Killdozer
Look, I’m sorry, this is an extremely funny track to follow that with. This is from the Burl EP, which was included in the CD release of Uncompromising War on Art Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Nobody did it like Killdozer.
“M & N”, Raekwon
Raekwon has a lot of records out there, most of which I’ve never heard. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is a stone-cold classic, of course, and Immobilarity is good. And then for some reason, I have this, his 2017 release (The Wild). It’s pretty good?
Josh, What Are You Doing Here?
I’m just writing about music. A structure like this blog helps me get my thoughts out, and it’s a way for me to explore my own music collection through various lenses. My sincere hope is that some folks out there find some new music they love. That’s all I’m up to. Sincere thanks to everybody who sends me feedback, with news that they’ve found a new favorite especially fun for me. There’s no monetization, no metrics, no ads, no promos, no nothing. Just some static web pages, some links, and my scribbling. If you want to support it, just shoot me a note! Thanks for reading.
Some Better Places To Learn About Music
Check these folks out, you’ll learn more for sure. In no particular order: To The Teeth, Wolf’s Week/Plague Rages, The Devil’s Mouth, Burning Ambulance, Lamniformes Cuneiform, Hex Records, See/Saw, Starkweather, Treble Magazine, The Quietus, Stereogum.