“Twelve tinny pulls on a harp sprung the packs of orbs high up towards the ceiling. Then, as quickly as they appeared they disappeared out from one sense: sight.”
–Chapter 7, Scry For Help
Music is an art form indivisible from all others, whether it be cinema, painting or literature. The movements of a classical piece can accompany the most sweeping of a ballroom sequence, the way a guitar riffs can influence a writer’s mood or the lyrics a singer delivers shades the artist’s color palette a particular way.
In the writing of Scry For Help: A Novella of Grief, an eclectic variety of music helped shaped what simultaneously strives to be an ethereal ghost story, a dream one cannot wake from and a dive into the emotional depths of mourning pitted against the supernatural. It is a pleasure to share the five most important compositions that contributed to the process as they not only grant a look behind the words and the author, but also behind yourself so you can ask the question, “What makes my ears perk? What feelings do they evoke? What can I do with that?”
Please enjoy, share and let us know what you listen to when you create and ruminate!
1) Mulholland Drive Theme by Angelo Badalamenti
For those who are unfamiliar with Badalamenti, he is the musical muse of surrealist filmmaker David Lynch and is responsible for some of his films’ most iconic pieces including TWIN PEAKS & BLUE VELVET. The score for Mulholland Drive (and the entire soundtrack, one of the best ever arranged) is among Badalamenti’s finest, hurling you directly into a mysterious world of unease and psychological subterfuge. It follows the dark arcs of dreams through and through while retaining a seductive edge that allows yourself to glide along for the ride. Naturally, the film is a must see puzzler as well.
2) Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens
What Halloween season is complete without this classical masterpiece? Unpopular during its initial debut, the annunciation of the dead rising up to revel in their shenanigans has become legendary for its composition where all the instruments represent the various pieces of the body and spirit as well as the mythology surrounding death and resurrection. As seen in the opening quote of this post, an entire portion of Scry For Help was modeled directly after the sheet music and arrangement because even ghosts have finesse and what fun it is to homage a master.
3) One of Us by ABBA (1981) & Cher (2018)
Heartbreak was practically invented, or at the very least reinvented, by ABBA. The premier pop/disco/glam group of the 70s into the brink of the 80s, their discography is replete with winners. There are few songs, however, as memorably tugging as “One of Us,” the lead single off of their final album THE VISITORS. It was recorded amid the break-up both of ABBA as well its bandmates who were or had already divorced and the song’s phenomenally sad yet catchy lyrics reflect every ounce of mourning and loss possible, especially when the lead vocals by Agnetha hit that trademark high note…you’ll feel the tears.
Flash forward to 2018 when mega-diva Cher decided to cover a selection of ABBA’s hits with the release of DANCING QUEEN and made each one into her own with the aplomb only the eternal contralto could pull off. Cher’s albums usually end with a ballad of epic proportions (two personal favorites being “It’s Been Hard Enough Getting Over You” from 1987 and “Kiss to Kiss” from 1989). This time around, she chose “One of Us” and that is when the tears will fall. There’s no auto-tune, no fancy beats, no pretension. There’s just a soul shedding her pain. And boy, does it resonate long past the final, echoing notes.
Both of these versions helped process a lot of the feelings of grief that this author was experiencing and attempting to explore and it is this song I am most thankful for opening up honest pathways to talk about. Truly, madly grateful.
4) Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta by Bela Bartok
Regardless of if you have seen THE SHINING or not, this is music that will creep your spine into knots and tickle your stomach with ghostly fingernails. The way the xylophonic percussion plinks open and then morphs into strings that feel like they were indeed born in a dark hallway creates the illusion of a haunting that few other composers have ever been able to match, especially when Stanley Kubrick decided to match it with his equally terrifying vision of the possessed Overlook Hotel. Turn off the lights and crank up the volume on this one.
5) The Ghost in You by Siouxsie & The Banshees
Siouxsie Sioux has a singular voice that literally climbs and crawls along any instrument. The premier new wave punk rock whatever you wanna call it band straight out of the UK is gothic to the core, no matter which album you select. Seriously, you want a seductive, hallucinogenic trip down the rabbit hole? Try A KISS IN THE DREAMHOUSE. Want to go on the darkest carnival ride possible? Throw on PEEPSHOW. Need some heat? TINDERBOX. But with SUPERSTITION the group went their most mainstream (if that can even be applied to them) with a crashing, Indian-tinged opener “Kiss Them For Me” and ends what becomes an odyssey through the mists of the unknown with this aptly named paranormal ditty, that just makes you ponder the heart and its almost unreachable depths.
Paradigm Shift Productions 