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Zann
CD compilation 2000 | Silber 014
18 tracks, 71 minutes
$10 ($16 international, $5 download (256 kbps, ~138 megs))
When Brian John Mitchell was 12 years old, he read the "The Music of Erich Zann" by HP Lovecraft, which told of scaring monsters away using music. This story, along with his actual fear of these creatures, is what drew him to learning music. Clearly, neither his interest in music, nor his fear of monsters has waned, for he has spent the past year or so collecting tracks for Zann, a compilation of music dedicated to scaring monsters away.

Zann brings the listener on a strange and surreal musical journey, with tracks that vary in both intensity and intent. Evidently, each artist involved has a very different idea of what types of sounds frighten these beasts. Yet they all share a common thread: each is apparently aware of the threat monsters pose in our everyday lives, and their musical inspiration is fear and necessity. The common theme makes Zann almost feel more like an album than a compilation gathering artists from different parts of the world and from different genres of experimental music.

Zann can be taken in either as something frightening and menacing in its own right or as something soothing to let you sleep, to give yourself a moment to be safe from all the things scratching on your windows and doors and the bottom of your bed.


Track Listing:
  1. Small Life Form (w/Jarboe) - Hohn 
  2. pFrenz-C - Blue Places 
  3. Trance to the Sun - Phases of the Razor (part 1)
  4. Clang Quartet - 3rd Day
  5. Jerry Blue - Dromo
  6. SubArachnoid Space - Speckled Birds 
  7. Origami Arktika - til dovre faller
  8. The Unquiet Void - The Closet People
  9. Plumerai - Tearing Skin
  10. Aarktica - Drone on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
  11. The Pulling Kiss - Human Beings
  12. Alchemia - An Explained World
  13. Pineal Ventana - The Sweetest Music
  14. Rollerball - widdershins
  15. dA Sebasstian - Crawling
  16. Tore H. Boe - noise
  17. Remora - window 
  18. Drekka - A Reminder
Reviews
"DIVERSE EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDS: The theme for this compilation is based on H.P.Lovecraft's story "The Music of Erich Zann," which is about scaring monsters away using music. Various interpretations of this theme are made by Trance to the Sun, SubArachnoid Space, The Unquiet Void, Pineal Ventana, dA Sebasstian, pFrenz-C, Remora, Small Life Form w/Jarboe and many others. With eighteen artists in all, there are plenty of unusual and surreal sounds on Zann ranging from lush atmospherics, melodies, and subtle vocals, to harsh noise and haunting cries. While providing a hauntingly good time, Zann just might do the trick in ridding your home of those pesky things that go bump in the night." - Outburn

"[Zann is] a compilation inspired by the story "The Music of Erich Zann" by weird fiction master HP Lovecraft. A variety of styles are explored here by the eighteen contributing artists, some of which include: Small Life Form w/Jarboe (droning experimental/ambient), Trance to the Sun (ethereal), The Pulling Kiss (eerie soundtrack-type material), Pineal Ventana (slow hellish jazz), and Drekka (who sings "Jesus Loves Me"). You'll also encounter dark ambient, ritual chanting, and spacey improv. Zann is one of those rare comps that is, for the most part, enjoyable throughout. The packaging compliments the music well, featuring great cover art by Kimberlee Traub. You can't go wrong with this CD released by Silber Records. Buy it!" - Pindrops and Cathedral Bells