V/A :: The Eraserhead. Music Inspired by the Film of David Lynch (Unexplained Sounds Group)

This strangely and mysteriously moving compilation album brilliantly honors the gloomy and surreal atmospherics of Lynch‘s early experimental film masterpiece, Eraserhead.

Broken noises that permeate the subconsciousness

Now a foundational and key publisher in the latest developments of unconventional electronic and experimental music, Unexplained Sounds Group also specializes in vibrant homages to classic literary authors and film directors engaged with sci-fi dystopias and adventurous metaphysical explorations of our (post-)human future (William Burroughs, William Gibson, Philip K. Dick, etc.). In this regard many compilations have been published featuring sound artists from their catalog but also others coming from DIY publishers such as Reverse Alignment.

This new compilation explores the bleak surreal-industrial beauty of David Lynch‘s singular and terrifying film Eraserhead. The original sounding conception of the film used to be a main ingredient to its success next to tripped-out visuals. It enhanced the grimy aesthetic experience, paradoxical dimensions, and otherworldly oneiric qualities. It is also worth noting that David Lynch himself (seconded by sound designer Dean Hurley) made an incursion into the world of sound art as the composer of the isolationist ambient album The Air Is on Fire—a work whose creative value would not be denied by representatives of challenging dark music.

Sonic soundscaping industrialism ::

The group of sound producers featured in this new compilation were, for the most part, already involved in previous collective albums inspired by ‘anticipation‘ art and literature—such as 400 Lonely Things, Oubys, Richard Begin, and Sonologyst. Each project brings to the fore dark sounding matters; broken noises that permeate the subconsciousness, rarely interrupted by sparse melodic lines, the intoxicating track by Sonologyst is quite representative of it. We can also perceive discreet cloudy organ infused melodies on “Contra Ciel II” by Adi Newton and celestial synth waves on “Thermal Subconsciousness” by Macrogramma.

In terms of content, this collective album gives ample space to sonic soundscaping industrialism, where it intersects with spherical droning excursions and aleatoric, computerized, cyber-like experiments—unvarnished, altered, abstract, concise, muted, and at times sprawling. An efficient cinematic listening experience, at once ominous, sparkling and daunting. This strangely and mysteriously moving compilation album brilliantly honors the gloomy and surreal atmospherics of Lynch‘s early experimental film masterpiece, Eraserhead.

The Eraserhead. Music Inspired by the Film of David Lynch is available on Unexplained Sounds Group. [Bandcamp]