Music to kidnap to?

November 22, 2008 8:20 AM

I am looking for heavy, noisy, vocal-free music like Billy Corgan and Matt Walker did for the Ransom soundtrack.

Samples (these will only be up for a short time):01||02||03

Please do not recommend:

1. Anything with vocals.
2. Anything "softer" than this unless it is substantially "darker"
3. Anything with vocals!!

I have the Pumpkins' back catalogue as well as the usual instrumental groups recommended here (GYBE, Explosions in the Sky, etc) so those recommendations are also unnecessary.

posted by fake to media & arts (26 comments total)

The first and third tracks kind of evolve into what sounds like stoner/sludge metal. Bands like Sleep, High on Fire, Boris (sometimes), and Melvins fit into that category.
posted by azarbayejani at 8:41 AM on November 22, 2008

Massive Attack's soundtrack to Unleashed (aka Danny the Dog)
some Mogwai stuff
some My Bloody Valentine stuff
posted by randomstriker at 9:05 AM on November 22, 2008

Thanks, azarbayejani.

Do any of those bands have instrumental albums? I checked each of their Myspace pages, and they all had a vocalist, which I really, really don't want.

I agree that some parts of it do sound stoner/sludgy, and I'm looking in those directions.
posted by fake at 9:06 AM on November 22, 2008

Unleashed is a good one -- I have it an enjoy it. I also have the Mogwai discog, but I feel that it is different from what I'm currently looking for.

My Bloody Valentine has vocals, and I really would like instrumental music.
posted by fake at 9:09 AM on November 22, 2008

Explosions in the Sky
posted by smitt at 9:56 AM on November 22, 2008

Ignore me, I don't read entire questions before posting.
posted by smitt at 9:56 AM on November 22, 2008

A smattering, from goin' through the old alphabetical order:
Earthless
Pharaoh Overlord
Sunn O)))
Tides
posted by rhizome at 10:54 AM on November 22, 2008

Rhizome, thanks for the Tides recommendation. They come close to what I am looking for. Instrumental, dark, and atmospheric.

Now if only they had the raw energy of those Corgan tracks I linked above...
posted by fake at 11:32 AM on November 22, 2008

Sunn O))) is highly seconded by me.

Red Sparowes. (Though I can only recommend the album At The Soundless Dawn from personal experience. The rest, from what I hear, is not great.)

Nine Inch Nails have an instrumental series of albums entitled Ghosts I-IV. They vary from mellow to a bit closer to what you're looking for (though all of it is pretty profoundly dark in tone). No vocals and I think it's mostly awesome, moody stuff. You can download the first 9 tracks off the site in high quality for free. The entire album of 36 songs will only set you back 5$ as well (and it's DRM free!). /blatant promotion of one of my favorite bands

Also, I'm not sure if I should recommend Fantomas - The Director's Cut (wiki) for your specific request as it mostly does not have 'vocals' per se but uses human voices as a part of its melodies for most of the songs, but fuck it, everyone should listen to this album. Suspended Animation is kinda similar in its approach to use of vocals/samples.

One individual song for you:

Cult of Luna - Dark Side of the Sun (youtube link). Their other stuff is sublime and very, very instrumental heavy but with some amount of lyrics/singing so consider yourself warned.
posted by slimepuppy at 11:35 AM on November 22, 2008

Btw, thanks for posting this question as it allowed me to spend a nice amount of time getting into the mood to see Lightning Bolt (mostly instrumental noise rock) later tonight.
posted by slimepuppy at 11:38 AM on November 22, 2008

I've got the other Red Sparowes disk, and they're alright, but are lot more complex/refined/contrived than those Corgan/Walker tracks.

I know I must come off as really picky here, but I have a big instrumental collection and I feel that these songs have some unique qualities, which might be as simple as being raw, short, simple and mean.

The Nails tracks might be good, I'll check them out -- I loved, for example "Just Like You Imagined" from Fragile, and would consider it the same class of music.

I loved the Cult of Luna track, thanks.

I'm a huge Patton fan. And lightning bolt! OMG.
posted by fake at 11:48 AM on November 22, 2008

Ghosts 1 #'s 7 and 8 are totally what I'm thinking of, in the electronic realm.
posted by fake at 11:56 AM on November 22, 2008

Pelican.
posted by bunnytricks at 12:04 PM on November 22, 2008

65 Days of Static?
Isis? (sometimes has vocals)
Russian Circles?


ps... judging by your name and the sound of this music, you're the same Fake who made the Guide to Modern Living album? one of the best pieces of music I've heard this past year.
posted by mannequito at 12:10 PM on November 22, 2008

65 Days is really cool -- not what quite I was looking for but awesome in their own right.

who made the Guide to Modern Living
I am that Fake. Damn... thank you.

I adore Russian Circles. Have you heard Irepress?
posted by fake at 12:21 PM on November 22, 2008

The soundtrack to American McGee's Alice, by Chris Vrenna. (There's three tracks at the bottom of the archived website. And the standard clips at Amazon.)
Vocal-free, except for some dialogue from the game, in the first track. I think.
posted by Xere at 1:16 PM on November 22, 2008

Trans Am - Surrender To The Night is their best album and closest to what you're looking for. Check "Rough Justice", "Carboforce"
posted by waraw at 2:47 PM on November 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

(forgot to mention: I purchased my copy with a sticker noting that all sounds are intentional, and would not damage speakers)
posted by waraw at 2:49 PM on November 22, 2008

Ufomammut
Ufomammut
Ufomammut

Heavy instrumental stoner/sludge from Italy.
posted by The Straightener at 2:49 PM on November 22, 2008

Hyatari
Hyatari
posted by The Straightener at 2:54 PM on November 22, 2008

maybe Praxis? Comets on Fire is also a possiblity, although some of their stuff has vocals.
posted by chbrooks at 3:06 PM on November 22, 2008

Wolf Eyes?
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:53 PM on November 22, 2008

Not sure what the Ransom soundtrack sounds like, but the first thing I thought of was Trent Reznor's soundtrack to Quake. Not sure if it's available by itself now, though.
posted by msbrauer at 3:56 PM on November 22, 2008

msbrauer, I put copies of the MP3s up at the top of this post so you could check it out.

The Quake II soundtrack is pretty close. Quake 1 is pretty far off, but good in its own right.
posted by fake at 4:04 PM on November 22, 2008

OH MY GOD YOU ARE FAKE. I love your stuff, I've played it on my radio show a few times.

Boris has a few albums that are (mostly) instrumental. Absolutego is instrumental as far as I remember. Flood has vocals on one track, Feedbacker doesn't have much vocals either. I'm pretty sure their collaboration with merzbow has no vocals, it's called Sun Baked Snow Cave. Only two of their albums have vocals on every song (Smile and Amplifier Worship).
posted by azarbayejani at 11:20 PM on November 22, 2008

I love your stuff, I've played it on my radio show a few times.

Thank you! I am really glad to hear that. Please, continue. ;)

I am giving a best answer to everybody who recommended something that:

1. was close but I already had, or
2. was something new that I liked.

Thanks everyone and more suggestions are very welcome.

For everyone who has mentioned or checked out my music, I'd like to extend my thanks. This unreleased track is a collaboration with my brother Mike's choir. I've been giving it to people who donate to the project or write me with their thoughts/criticism about the album. I can't ever officially "release" it because I won't be able to get copyright clearance for the original composition, so this gift is between us.

Enjoi, and thanks for your support.
posted by fake at 8:22 AM on November 23, 2008