Susan
Smith's Songs for Dead Children
Susan Smith: The Musical
A month ago I saw a post on a list about a CD being produced that drew its inspiration from the pen pal listing Susan Smith had submitted on an internet site. That was all I needed to know. For those of you who may not have heard of Susan Smith (and, by that, I mean anyone living under a rock in the 90s) she was the woman who reported that she'd been carjacked and the assailant had driven off with her two small children strapped in the backseat. She kept up the ruse for fourteen days after which she admitted to leaving the children strapped into their car seats before pushing the car into the lake. Earlier this year, she posted an ad on the 'net asking for pen pals. The ad read, in part, 'I am a Christian .... caring, and kind-hearted ... I have grown and matured since my incarceration, but I will always hurt for the pain I've caused so many, especially my children.'
Oh yes, I just HAD to have this CD! I emailed ViPER, who worked on the project, and he happily reported back and told me that not only could I have a copy, but that he was thrilled it could now claim to be an international seller. I asked him about what kind of music it was and he told me, 'it would probably be classified as 'experimental' but it would probably mostly fall within the 'noise genre'', which left me more confused than usual. What the hell is noise genre? It is just a hardcore wall of musical anger and ... well, noise? 'Well, yes and no,' he vacillated, ' ...since there were no specifications to how the tracks should sound other than length and originality, several different styles of noise appear on this compilation. It opens with a couple ambient/dark ambient songs, grows into some power electronics and harsh noise tracks, and then fades back down to end with a couple more ambient/dark ambient tracks.'
Uh-huh.
I immediately put in an order - well, actually, bugged my brother to buy it for me - and it finally arrived on Monday evening. I still had errands to run so by the time I finally got home I had to leave again in order to get to the stores before they closed and I only got to really listen to one track ('I'll Kill the Kids for You' by Baal) which was surprisingly good. (Okay, I admit it - 'noise genre' had left me worried) The rest of the CD remained untouched until the weekend, when I finally made some time to kick back and listen to it while I did some website work.
I plonk it into my CD player and settle in for an evening of sifting through emails and trying to get some work done. I feel the ultimate test for a CD is how well it's able to function as background noise. The majority of my music listening is done while I'm working. I need for music to be able to either bleed into the background or invade my mind so thoroughly that it ends up prompting me on and inspiring me. There is no middle ground.
The CD is a dark little musical tome. 70 minutes of what can only be described as the sound of a mind going through a state of turmoil so intense that it left two dead and a nation stunned. It's not exactly background noise - though some tracks do have a very trancey sort of feel to them - the most notable of the two being Track 1 ('I'll Kill the Kids for You' by Baal) and Track 6 ('Scream Baby Scream' by Inhalant)
This is definitely not a CD you'll want to switch on during a quiet evening at home as it sounds more like a soundtrack you'd hear in a horror movie so dark and evil it would make anything Rob Zombie could come up with look like a stroll through King Friday's kingdom. It's definitely disturbing, but I don't mean that in a negative sort of way. It simply DEMANDS your attention - not good whilst working, but definitely gets you thinking when you consider the muse. The tracks lull you in and then smack you upside the head. I was working on some graphics when 'Dredging Up Memories' by Sickness demanded my attention. I suddenly got a flash of true darkness and felt as if I'd suddenly been transported to a Dino Velvet film. It flows back and forth from there on in and during 'October Drive (lake bottom blues)' by Edicius (featuring list regular ViPER) you're treated to an encapsulated trip from beginning to end with its ghostly introduction that slides into a static sound of a mind creaking through insanity, replete with a venom filled rant aimed directly at the CDs muse.
With 12 tracks on the CD it's rather appropriate that Track 6 ('Scream Baby Scream' by Inhalant) works as a transition for the remainder of the CD. It has a trancey sort of feel that lets your mind wander a bit (though not very far) but as soon as you shake off the disturbing screams of Edicus' contribution you're immersed in the growing noise of this track which eventually echoes off, which sends a sinister chill up your spine. 'Matthew 5:21' by Yeti open with an evanglist which makes for an interesting follow up. The heartbeat thread running beneath the track reminds you of how human this CD is - and, for me, it rammed home the idea that inspiration is flesh and bone.
I could go through each and every track here but that would be overkill. Needless to say, the CD is one that not only noise and experimental fans would enjoy, but something any hardcore murder buff will want to own as well. CDs like this one are a rare find indeed and shouldn't be passed up too often. If you already own Charlie Manson's horrific CD (which was a crime in and of itself) then definitely get this one - not only is it much better, it's a lot more timely.
