this week in (things that disturb me).

I usually don’t consider myself easy to scare.  In fact, I am usually that guy who is giggling during the scary movie.  This week, though,  (maybe Halloween is to blame) I found that some of the music and clothes I encountered were lingering on my mind because of their disturbing or dark content.

As I said last week, I have been going back through my iTunes and listening to some music that I haven’t heard in awhile or that I never got around to listening to.  One such album is Nico’s sophomore album, The Marble Index.

Image via Wikipedia.

If the album art didn’t creep you out enough to to click off to another webpage, then surely the album’s music will.  Of particular note are three tracks: “Lawns of Dawn,” “Frozen Warnings,” and “Evening of Light.”  Both tracks feature a similar sound that can only be described as downright disturbing.  Between the creaky, wavering instruments which pulse in and out of the song, and Nico’s vocals, these songs evoke what I would refer to as “what it probably sounds like in you head when you are going insane.”  Listen to Lawns of Dawn below, if you are feeling brave.

Even though the album in it’s entirety only spans thirty minutes and eight songs, it is more than sufficient time for Nico to chill you to the bone.  Often considered a reaction to the warm, radio-friendly sound of her debut (an album which Nico essentially disowned after it was changed without her knowledge before it’s release), The Marble Index is an album you must hear to believe.  I can honestly say that there is nothing out there quite like it.

Even though listening to The Marble Index had scared me a bit, it didn’t stop me from starting to put together a belated Halloween playlist.  Here is what I have so far:

1. If I Had A Heart - Fever Ray
2. Small - Portishead
3. Mad World - Tears For Fears
4. Empathy - Crystal Castles
5. (________) - (________)

While doing my usual online shopping rounds, I stumbled upon this t-shirt printed with Alexander McQueen’s now iconic skull insignia.  

Image via Alexander McQueen.

Even though I usually consider the McQueen skull to be stupidly overused, I enjoy it on some level in this case.  By enlarging the image and detailing it significantly, the skull becomes less of a logo and more of an expression of human fragility and mortality.  The minimal detailing and hollowness of the eyes really lingered in my mind even after I had closed my laptop.

Did anybody else get scared listening to “Lawns of Dawn”?

Can you think of any other good Halloween songs?

Is this t-shirt evocative, or just lame?

Is there anything that is scaring/disturbing you this week?