Black as midnight on a moonless night: Twin Peaks & Witch House

Like many, I was initially bewitched(!) by the sounds of witch house-y bands like SALEM, White Ring, oOoOO, and have fond memories of driving around South St. Louis at night, blasting dark, oozing bass and pretending that I’m a cold-hearted badass. It was nice … in that dark, cold, make-believe way. Some have criticized the trend, calling the music derivative and its makers overprivileged hipsters with too much time on their hands.** I just got bored.

Enter Phantasma Disques and their non-profit compilation: A Witch House and Occvlt Guide to Twin Peaks. This is the perfect application for this genre — a culturally-significant anchor that draws a little more fanfare than White Ring’s sampling of the gunshot sound effect from “Thug Love.”

Via Welcome to Twin Peaks:

The tribute compilation was released on Cosmotropia de Xam’s Phantasma Disques last month, in a limited edition of just 125 copies (only about 20 are left so hurry and order yours). The CD comes with impressive, flipside cover art and a bizarre but to Twin Peaks fans extremely appealing tracklist:

1. MATER SUSPIRIA VISION feat. HOW I QUIT CRACK – (These are the last 7 days in the life of) Laura Palmer
2. ANDRAS – Half Heart
3. DEATHCOAST – The Nightingale
4. § (SILVER STRAIN) – A Blue Rose
5. Kim Cascone and Ceremonial Dagger – through the darkness
6. OS OVNI – Just you and I
7. AAIMON – Into the Night
8. UNISON – Questions in a World of Blue
9. MULHOLLAND DRIVE – Burst into fire and the angels wouldnt help you
10. I†† – X-RAYS
11. \\\^?^/// – Are you Laura Palmer?
12. Zombelle – Dweller on the Threshold
13. ANGST – Keep The Fear From Your Mind
14. Die Hexen – Inside the black Lodge
15. Julee Cruise – Mystereees of Love (Excepter Remix)
16. Ghostrider – Traces to Nowhere

Note that Kim Cascone, who collaborated on track five, was David Lynch’s assistant music editor on Twin Peaks and Wild At Heart!

As far as I can tell, the listing for Volume 1 on Phantasma Disques has disappeared, but Volume 2 was just released and is available for order.

The Silver Strain video below is by far my favorite track from the collection.

§ – A Blue Rose [Twin Peaks] from § on Vimeo.

** One critic of SALEM made a brilliant “anti-witch house” mix. A Ben Frost track followed by Waka Flocka Flame? Yes, please.

Hello, and Goodbye!

I’ve lived in St. Louis for seven years, which is longer than I’ve been anywhere before.  I love the city with a passion and can see myself returning to it at some point, but I’ve been feeling restless and in need of a change of scenery.  I’m moving in about a week to New York City to do my practicum at Abrons Arts Center, and will be there at least through May–probably longer.

Leaving KDHX behind is one of the things that makes me the saddest about this move.  I’m so proud to have been a part of this organization.  I started out volunteering at the station in 2005, then became an intern, and then, following my graduation in 2007, became the youngest person ever to join staff.  Although I loved my work behind the scenes, I was still itchin’ for the airwaves, so I substituted for Rene Saller’s show, Suffragette City, for several months in 2008.  In August of that year, Nomadic Reverie was born.  Thursday, December 23, 2010 will be the last broadcast of the show.

But fear not, friends, fam, and fans!  Nomadic Reverie will live on through this site.  I’m going to do my derndest to keep this site updated with weekly podcasts and other goodies, as time and technological know-how allow.  I hope you’ll continue to listen and share your thoughts with me.

Back to packing!  Check back soon!