Good day my farraginous favorers and welcome to the 4th installment of Farraginous Fridays!
Last week’s space adventure was a joyous journey of discovery and the future! This week’s future looks somewhat more bleak as we delve deep in to the darkest of the arts… MURDER!
Farraginous Friday #04 – Murder most horrid (SPOTIFY)
Farraginous Friday #04 – Murder most horrid (YOUTUBE)
The Clash
The first two tracks on this week’s playlist are inspired by true murder stories, though that is where the comparison ends (in true Farraginous Friday style). The pounding Mick Jones-penned track from The Clash is a powerfully worded piece highlighting society’s disregard for human life and the tragic anonymity of murder (“Somebody got murdered / His name cannot be found”). It is apparently based on the shooting of a shopkeeper across from Joe Strummer’s flat. One of my favourites from their epic Sandinista! album.
Tom Waits‘ twisted tale is derived from the 19th century Red Barn Murder; where a Suffolk gent murdered his mistress at their secret rendezvous in the country. I was spoilt for choice with Waits’ creepy back catalogue of music. His sleazy sepulchral voice on Murder In The Red Barn always sends a bone-chilling shiver down the spine.
The Wedding List, from Kate Bush‘s record-breaking album of 1980, Never For Ever, was based on the 1968 Francois Truffaut film The Bride Who Wore Black and tells of a bride who takes revenge on her husband’s killer(s). The album was the first number 1 album for a British female artist.
Rather humorously, if slightly naïvely, The Auteurs‘ Luke Haines once said “We released Unsolved Child Murders as our Christmas single”. Although Haines’ songwriting talent has always been clear to see, the skewed humour and quirky pop style has always limited his success.
Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue
Australia’s eeriest export Nick Cave (and his band of less-than-merry men The Bad Seeds) provides us with a next daunting ditty from his aptly titled Murder Ballads album. The swarming strings open the track and set a sombre scene for the story of obsession and death. The song features a career-best performance from pop diva Kylie Minogue. Again, many to choose from with Cave but the unusual collaboration and gorgeous arrangement meant Where The Wild Roses Grow could not be ignored. It is also Cave’s biggest hit, reaching number 2 in the Australian ARIA singles chart and is accompanied by Rocky Shenck’s beautiful video.
Excitable Boy, comes from Warren Zevon‘s 1978 album of the same name. No one can resist a bit of cheery D.O.R. especially when it’s peppered with such disturbing lyrics (“He raped her and he killed her, then her took her home”). I couldn’t decide if the delight taken from this hefty contrast was healthy or not. So I thought I’d test myself with another track of similar sentiment…
The gifted but often self-indulgent Beck came back from a minor career lull with Guero, his ninth studio album. Girl, has an irresistable summer feel to it with the dark lyrical content (“And I know I’m gonna make her die / Take her where her soul belongs”) almost going unnoticed over the chiptune backing and heavily layered acoustic guitars. From this, I decided that my original delight was healthy enough 
Beck
Closing Farraginous Friday #04 this week is the unusual goth-rock-epic from the ever-negative Avenged Sevenfold. A wonderfully melodramatic and bloody blow-out, A Little Piece of Heaven seemed like the only true way to end the 4th installment such a right royal bludgeoning joy that is Farraginous Fridays.
I hope you’ve all enjoyed the doom-drenched delights this week and will leave all your caring or caustic comments as always.
Please also encourage your friends to come visit subscribe either on here or join the Facebook group aptly title Farraginous Fridays.
Until next time….
Farraginous Francis x
Farraginous Friday #04 – Murder most horrid (SPOTIFY)
Farraginous Friday #04 – Murder most horrid (YOUTUBE)
