Skeletonwitch

H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, “If I Were A Deep One”

The arc popularity of Lovecraft’s writing has been kind of an interesting one to watch. When I was a kid, Lovecraft was largely unknown outside of only a handful of turbo nerds. Call of Cthulhu, the tabletop RPG, did exist, and it slowly brought awareness to Lovecraft’s writing, which was extremely niche in prior years. As the years ground on, and as nerd “culture” continued infiltrating the broader culture, referencing Lovecraft’s writing became just a general shorthand for cosmic horror, a way of gesturing at the ineffable horrors of the universe. Thus, it was invevitable that Lovecraft would slowly become more of a punchline, a cheap gimmick to gain some laughs of recognition from people who understand that this stuff is supposed to be horrible, but look! It’s being played for laughs! SO SUBVERSIVE!

Today!

Mr. Lif, “Jugular Vein”

A repeat! But still a good song.

Simon & Garfunkel, “Feuilles-O (Demo)”

I don’t think Simon & Garfunkel need an introduction, do they? Anyway, my copy of Bridge Over Troubled Water has a couple of demos whacked onto the end. They’re kind of pointless.

Merle Haggard, “I Can’t Hold Myself In Line”

OK, we’re doing quieter today, apparently. Cool, cool.

Mark Eitzel, “Gentle On My Mind”

Mark Eitzel was the main force behind American Music Club, and he embarked on a long a solo career as well. I always preferred American Music Club, but he’s a good songwriter, so his solo work usually has something to recommend it. This album, Music For Courage & Confidence, a mid-career record that is uneven. Another pretty quiet song!

Pretty angry set of songs today, mostly.

Ice Cube, “I Wanna Kill Sam”

Here, we have Ice Cube from one of his peak albums, in full-on fury at the state of America. I love the break in the middle of the song. At any rate, when Ice Cube was at the top of his form, there wasn’t anybody better.

Jesus Jones, “Your Crusade”

There was a brief boomlet in “Madchester” music, centered around the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, which combined alternative rock with dance music, giving an interesting hybrid. Technically, being from London instead of Manchester, Jesus Jones weren’t actually part of that scene, but spiritually, they were. Doubt, their second album, was a massive hit, thanks to “Right Here, Right Now”. Their followup record, Perverse, is impressive in one way: they could have basically made a carbon copy of their huge breakthrough album, but they chose instead to make some big changes to their style. In particular, they pushed the electronic stuff to the fore, rather than leaning more in the rock direction.

Writing these up is a little strange. In the end, it’s a way for me to tour through my music, remember assorted bands, and write down some stories for myself. It all feels pretty self-indulgent, but then again, I’m not really inconveniencing anybody. I guess I’m having fun, so that’s good enough. Links to the music? Why of course!

Skeletonwitch, “My Skin Of Deceit”

Let me just say, “Skeletonwitch” seems like the kind of name somebody would cook up just to mock metal. And the cover art! Are there be-antlered undead things screaming? YOU KNOW THERE ARE! It all seems like a parody act. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell with metal, really.