We’re quite a number of months away from Halloween season and spooky, pensive and driving sounds that go along with it. But as we approach the hot Texas Summer (and 100 degrees this coming Wednesday!) we put our minds to cooler places. One of the best is the dark of a theater. Or a theater room. Either will do. One of the most enchanting parts of dark room entertainment is being enveloped by the soundscape, and we’re suckers for symphonic elegance and moody synthesizers. As such, today we have just what the doctor ordered by way of Lakeshore Records.
Now let’s get this out of the way up front. These titles have nothing to do with one another, nor are they even current releases. But that’s the beauty of being a cinephile or soundtrack geek: making connections and enjoying the ride. After all, that’s what you’ll find on our “Music Matchup” snapshots on our Intasgram page. We’re all about tone-setting atmospheric soundscapes, and we’re delighted to grab this pair of gorgeous albums on vinyl. The first is a cornucopia of expert orchestral compositions to lay an acoustic tarp over Guillermo Del Toro‘s anthology series. The second is a murderer’s row of outstanding electronic artists who are featured in and give a lot of heft to director Ivan Castell’s documentary about the synthesizer revolution.
The best result of any musical accompaniment is how much emotion is pulled from every note pressed, plucked or similarly derived from an instrument. Each project sports compositions from a variety of musicians, and these soundtracks have a dynamic flavor that bifurcates and coalesces depending on the narrative. And if it wasn’t just the beautiful music worth celebrating, Lakeshore Records again delivers exquisite vinyl packaging and production.
At first glance, Cabinet of Curiosities has pretty by-the-numbers cover art. But as it is a product of Del Toro, the devil is in the details. Take a look above – every square centimeter is poured over to produce something that feels odd, creepy, mysterious and magnetic. It is very on-brand. Further, opening up this gatefold is a lot like peering into a morbid jewelry box. There is high artistic value among the morbid and macabre that this iconic visionary is known for. It may not be pretty, but its composition is decidedly beautiful.
What makes this more surprising (and really makes it worth owning) is that each of these stories has a highly unique and individualized narrative. Seen as mini movies, all eight have their own poster and each side of the vinyl dust cover sports two of each. This shows the high artistry and definition that Del Toro tries to convey in a very holistic fashion. Last but not least is the stunning vinyl pressing. With each release (Hellboy, Pacific Rim, Nightmare Alley, et al) you could say that GDT goes for the gold. That’s fitting because the two vinyl discs sport of lustrous gold that looks like it has been melted down to morph and drape to each story. The curation of composers is equally alluring as Holly Amber Church, Tim Davies, Christopher Young and others deliver the spooky goods.
Next up is the companion album to the The Rise of the Synths documentary and, going just by name alone, it conjures up the highly stylized and thoroughly nebulous decade where anything can and, in fact, did go. But some 30 years removed, synthesizer music (read: synthwave, shredwave, vaporwave, take your pick) has really grabbed hold of the zeitgeist and is catchy and propulsive in equal measure. But it can also turn pretty dark and menacing. Within the genre, there’s a spectrum from Tangerine Dream to John Carpenter (who serves as narrator in this doc) to Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein to Ultraboss, Carpenter Brut and many, many, many others.
One thing the documentary hits on is that while this style never really went away, the present day over-saturation and presence can possibly wear out its novelty and resurgence. Some realize that while there might be a limited shelf life before it either goes away or evolves into something else, they’re going make hay while the sun shines.
The album is just what you would expect by looking at the font, the tasteful splashes of neon, and the oh so prevalent pink grid. It’s so soothing to take out these two vinyl discs, which have a nigh ethereal vibe. The cool purple vinyl is saturated and rich, and when this hits the light you feel like you’re holding raw neon in your fingertips. Just don’t touch the grooves, OK?
Similar to Cabinet of Curiosities, the selection of commissioned musicians and source music is a pretty wild ride that is far from one-note. Our personal favorites are Robert Parker and Waveshaper. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, either album would do really well in the month of October. But if you want to get lost in the mood of some really great artists that are not exactly household names, this trip off the beaten path is well worth it. It will also put some great artists on your radar. Check them out, and these albums are still available at lakeshoremusic.com.
‘The Rise of the Synths’ Vinyl Tracklist
SIDE 1
1 “Deckard Returns” – Chrome Canyon
2 “The Vale Of Shadows” – GUNSHIP
3 “Fatal Affair” – Power Glove
4 “Makita” – Geno Lenardo
5 “Idle Withdrawal” – Com Truise
SIDE 2
1 “Lost In A Love” – Daniel Davies
2 “Silver Shadow” – Robert Parker
3 “A Mission To Remember” – Waveshaper
4 “Black Rain” – Code Elektro
5 “The Osbourne Effect” – German Engineering
SIDE 3
1 “Triage” – Giorgio Moroder & Raney Shockne
2 “Night Stalker” – Carpenter Brut
3 “Crash & Burn” – John Bergin
4 “Dead of Night” – Dance With The Dead
5 “A Hero’s Journey” – Lazerhawk
SIDE 4
1 “Rebar (Prologue)” – OGRE
2 “Fleshman” – John Bergin
3 “Stargate” – Mega Drive
4 “Appearance Of The Mysterious Traveler” – Voyag3r
‘Cabinet Of Curiosities’ Vinyl Tracklist
Track Listing:
Side A – 16:38 approx
01. Cabinet of Curiosities Main Title – Holly Amber Church
02. Cabinet of Curiosities Prologue – Holly Amber Church
03. Surveillance Video – Tim Davies
04. The Fourth Volume – Tim Davies
05. Looking for the Book – Tim Davies
07. The Black Church – Jeff Danna
08. The Name Is Masson – Jeff Danna
09. The Ascent To Hell – Jeff Danna
Side B – 18:52 approx
11. The Autopsy – Christopher Young
12. The Transferable Alien Thing – Christopher Young
13. Horror Within You, Horror Within Me – Christopher Young
14. Nine To Five – Daniele Luppi
15. First Scratch – Daniele Luppi
16. The Lotion Lady – Daniele Luppi
17. In The Bathtub – Daniele Luppi
Side C – 21:04 approx
18. Thurber 1909 – Michael Yezerski
19. Fifteen Minutes and Rotting Flesh – Michael Yezerski
20. Dreams of Horror and Wonder – Michael Yezerski
22. The Feast, Pt. 1 and Changing Times – Michael Yezerski
25. Epperley – Anne Chmelewsky
26. Frank Arrives – Anne Chmelewsky
29. The Den – Anne Chmelewsky
Side D – 20:25 approx
30. The Viewing Suite – Daniel Lopatin
31. Arrival – Jed Kurzel
32. Murmuring – Jed Kurzel
33. Scream – Jed Kurzel
34. Vanishing – Jed Kurzel
35. Mal Hombre – Gaby Morenou
