Music vs. Monday: Black Requiem for a Rabbit

The theme for today is Black, or Blackness, or Darkness. Rather than spend eons discussing the various black metal bands of Norway, I thought I’d keep it a little simpler and discuss a few bands who have chosen the word black as either a moniker for themselves or for their songs. This theme was delivered to me by my cat, Racine, who killed a very small rabbit this morning. Well, I say killed... She actually maimed it and I had to speed its ascent into the heavens. I’ll stop there, but it wasn’t a very pleasant sight to wake up to so after I buried the poor creature I held a silent rabbit vigil (not joking) in the backyard and took time to appreciate this little creature. This is not something a metal-head would normally do, but I consider myself more of a black metal Buddhist. So without further ado, here is my way of saying "Screw you Black Monday." And also, "I’m sorry little rabbit." Let’s begin with something softer and ease into the darkness.

Habbit c/o Thinkmule

One of my favorite songs of general eeriness and unfortunate circumstance is entitled "Long Black Veil". The song was written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin but made famous by Lefty Frizzell in the late fifties. It’s a cheatin’ song about a man who falls in love with his best friend’s wife and when accused of murder decides to die rather than reveal the scandal, thus preserving the fair lady’s name and honor. It’s a beautifully rendered folk song and heads in the general direction of misery and darkness.

photo c/o oNe.SwEeT.wOrLd

Moving along the darkened corridor, Sean Hayes has an album called Big Black Hole and the Little Baby Star. The album itself isn’t what I would consider dark, but I’ve been listening to a song that I would consider a mild rainstorm at the very least. It’s called "F*cked me Right Up" and he pretty much gets straight to the point. It’s another love song of sorts and the tremolo in his voice is like a dark bird sitting in a tree that won’t go away until its plaintive song is heard.

Black Prairie is a recent acquisition thanks to my friend Miss Tasha over at Sugar Hill Records. The first two tracks on this album must be listened to back to back. They have the ups and downs of a night on the town followed by a hangover in the morning. The album walks into your room with its whining fiddle melodies that slice away the binds mooring you to dry land, and by the second track you are left floating on a lake in dark desolation.

photo c/o Black Prairie

David Vandervelde’s "Murder in Michigan" is next and it’s a song that is immediately catchy and even a little upbeat. But don’t be mistaken, all of this is just a cover for the impending tragedy that befalls the muse by the end of the song. Check out the following illustration inspired by the song on the nervousmotion artworks blog:

photo c/o nervousmotion artworks blog

I guess this is a good time to drop the hammer and just let out a little bit of metal. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include Metallica’s "Blackened" in this list not only because of it’s onslaught of dark guitar riffs but because it’s simple lyrics sum up the entire feeling of darkness that began this blog.

“Death of Mother Earth
Never a rebirth
Evolution's end
Never will it mend…”

Yes, to quote another Metallica song, it’s sad but true.

A band that I recently discovered thanks to Tony Sarabia on his show Radio M are called Black Jacks, spelled BLK JKS and, like David Vandervelde, a Secretly Canadian artist. These rockers from Johannesburg lured me in with their song "Ghost" off the album After Robots. The droning guitars, which are only interrupted by crashing symbols and falling drum beats, are woven through with tribal chanting (reminiscent of David Byrne and Brian Eno’s masterpiece My Life in the Bush of Ghosts) and leave me wanting another trance-inducing five and a half minutes. But alas, it’s over, and as with all dark moments, you can either run the tape again and give in to the grey mindslide or you can pull yourself up, wash your face, and step into the light. For now, its still Monday for me, and I’ve got a gazillion things to do here in the studio so I’ll just follow this dark tunnel a little longer and hope that by Tuesday someone will turn on the lights.