The Most Terrifying Musical Works To Wake Up To
Submitted by khriz on Wed, 05/13/2009 - 16:28
Tags:
- Suicide - Frankie Teardrop (The screaming present in this track appears out of nowhere and is much louder than the rest of it and most other tracks. There is probably a gap between this and Meet The Residents; how I forgot it originally, I am unsure.)
- The Residents - Meet The Residents (This was the album that prompted me to make this list and I would say there is a reasonable gap after it)
- Nico - The Marble Index
- Silver Apples - The Velvet Cave
- Meridith Monk - Dolmen Music
- Klaus Schulze - Satz Ebene
- Shit & Shine - Jealous Of Shit & Shine (There is another sizeable gap after this also)
- Igor Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring
- Faust - Faust (This could even be around Meet The Residents when I was listening to it for the first time but after 50+ listens its scariness has worn off somewhat. It was a long time ago but I seem to remember putting this album on for the first time when going to bed! That may have some reason it shot straight into my top 5 albums even back then.)
- Some others I've never slept to:
- Clint Mansell - Requiem For A Dream (The winter section of this in particular could put it near Meet The Residents)
- Royal Trux - Twin Infinitives
- Li Jianhong - San Sheng Shi
- Messiaen - Quator Pour Le Fin Du Temps
- And two more which I think would be impossible to fall asleep to:
- Peter Brotzman - Machine Gun
- Borbertomagus - Barbed Wire Maggots
Author Comments:
This is based on the fact that I often end up falling asleep when listening to music. Waking up disorientated is fine with most albums but some enhance this sense of disorientation. These are not albums I do not like, in fact most of them are amoung my very favourite. They just sometimes seem a little terrifying to hear when half asleep. Also, I find it quite interesting that this is only the case with certain albums by artists, even when others are relatively similar.
The Messiaen? Are you listening to the same peice of music I am? I find that really relaxing, and it's helped me get to sleep quite frequently. Especially the Abîme des oiseaux. I definatley agree with the rest though. Especially Irrlicht. On the face of it, it would seem like the pefect candidate for sleeping music. Droning, ambient sounds, imagery of floating in space. Yet it scares the shit out of me in the dark, and it always keeps me wide awake in attentive bliss.
The ones I've never been able to fall asleep to (ignoring obvious ones genres like Metal, Industrial, Punk etc)
Diamanda Galas - The Litanies Of Satan (Find me a creepier album and I'll be very surprised, and impressed)
Anthony Braxton - Saxophone Improvisations Series F
Trout Mask Replica
John Coltrane - Acension
Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity
Mark Stewart - Learning To Cope With Cowardice
Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance (David Thomas' voice would freak me out)
Red House Painters - Down Colourfull Hill (Most. Depressing. Dream. Ever)
Ha, the Abime des oiseaux is probably the most terrifying for me. Perhaps not outright terror but there is a definate sense of unease that is unsettling. I'm yet to listen to Litanies of Satan, Ascension, Spiritual Unity, or Cowardice. Metal does not neccessarily keep me awake actually funnily enough. I probably fall asleep faster listening to the soothing lullaby of Ladybird at full volume than anything else. Frances the Mute might get on here lower down though, I'll have to consider it. Braxton I strongly considered for the impossible to fall asleep to category but didn't put it there because the other two seem in a league of their own. How did I forget Trout Mask Replica, that will be on their but last most likely for the same reason as Faust. I don't think it would have ever been number one like Faust was though. Bear in mind that Faust was the first Scaruffian album I got and I listened to it first time in bed. Modern Dance and Down Colourful Hill I have never listened to in bed but I will consider them.
Is there a track scarier than "Frankie Teardrop"? You're right about that screaming coming out of nowhere. I try to train myself to remember when, and then the suspense of waiting for it makes me jolt every time it comes!
Indeed, the last scream especially is very scary!