No
one who knows me well will be at all surprised that I've chosen
Haunted (FEI/Atlantic) by Poe as the subject of my first,
and probably only, music review. It's not a new release (2000) and
it's not a feat of mass acclaim. More to the point, it's probably
just a little too mainstream for the tastes of most intellectuals
and too weird for your average listener -- in other words absolutely
perfect for me.
I'm no expert on music and I haven't done any deep research on
the subject, but I like to classify Haunted as Goth-pop.
(The album is also only once removed kin to angst rock and it's
no coincidence that Poe opened for Depeche Mode last year.) A
casual listen reveals the sort of songs that I'd imagine playing
in dance clubs. The songs are heavily mixed and most of them have
very danceable beats -- I can practically imagine the strobe lights
and crowded dance floors. Because of this (I don't dance and hate
clubs) I almost turned up my nose when my husband enthusiastically
brought Haunted home last year. But there's much more to
Poe than a sexy voice and dance rhythms: Layers. Poe's Haunted
has lots and lots of layers.
The first two layers flow from a single event. According to the liner notes, Poe (Ann Danielewski) and her brother Mark Z. Danielewski came across a box of cassette recordings of their father (an interesting and creative man himself) a few years after his death. A few years later, and seemingly after much cathartic creativity, the world has House of Leaves by Mark and Haunted by Poe. Haunted, her second album, is a concept album and a soundtrack for the innovative horror novel, House of Leaves (Pantheon Books, New York, 2000).
 |
House
of Leaves
by Mark Z. Danielewski |
| BOOK
LINKS
|
The book and the album are undeniably linked. The liner notes contain an extensive footnote relating every track to pages from the novel, though that hardly seems necessary for "5&1/2 Minute Hallway" (which seems to me a soulful metaphor for the horror communication breakdown within families) and the deliciously creepy mix "House of Leaves". Art for both book and CD contain the same images and creative use of text color. To me the angle of family collaboration is inspirational in its own right. And it seems to have added to the success of both siblings.
The book, a national bestseller, and the CD both advertise the other's work. The most popular song from Haunted (at least around my neck of the woods) doesn't even appear on the original album but is a remix of the song "Hey Pretty" which relies heavily on Mark reading aloud a very sexy and poetic passage from House of Leaves. That song led directly to my husband's purchase of both the CD and the book.
Some probably criticize the crossover as a cheap gimmick - the equivalent to the immensely popular pop song that plays over the credits of virtually every blockbuster movie and who's music video is really just a movie trailer/soundtrack commercial. Whatever! This is entertainment and the result is both fun and marvelously creative. Every time I look at either work I find yet another surprising correlation, another piece of the intriguing puzzle.
As a concept album Haunted also tells the story of Poe
dealing with the loss of her father, who is heard throughout the
entire album from samplings of the aforementioned cassettes. Voices
representing her entire family are threaded throughout the album.
Along with the title track, Poe's opening lines, delivered to
her mother's answering machine, truly set the theme: "I thought
you should know. Daddy died today..." The song "Haunted" (my favorite)
conveys a universal feeling of loss followed by determination
on one level and the grief of a loved one's death on another.
What makes the song so much more real than most mourning ballads
is the underlying sense of anger that is a very real and often
shunned part of grief.
In fact, parts of the album are so deeply personal that I almost
feel embarrassed to be listening in. One thing that Haunted
makes clear is that Poe, who wrote all the songs and some of the
music, isn't afraid to share - either with her brother's book
or her own and her family's innermost struggles. It's all part
of the storytelling process. "Walk the Walk" is a great example:
on one level full of area anthem adrenaline and on another a generation
gap expose' on the different approaches to life taken by Poe and
her parents. The most poignant example is the emotional end to
Haunted's story in "If You Were Here," a virtual Valentine
to her dead father, and immensely fitting finale.
Yet for all the specific references to House of Leaves
and to Poe's family, Haunted is extremely universal in
its themes. Despite having all the unapologetic sexuality, bravado,
and spooky trappings of shock rock, Haunted has all the
poetic introspection of vulnerability of angst rock. To me it's
the best of both Goth music worlds. What Poe has to say are things
to which we can all relate - death sucks, loneliness hurts,
relationships are a power trip, that which doesn't kill you makes
you stronger, fear is in my own head, I'm proud of my sexuality,
I need people.
When I listen to Haunted, which is often indeed, I don't
think about Poe's dad or House of Leaves at all. I think
about my own life and my own relationships and, more often than
not, I think of fictional characters. Haunted works as
a literary soundtrack not only for House of Leaves but
for other fiction as well because of the universality of the themes
and emotions. I often listen to the CD to help me "get in character"
for writing and I've inextricably assigned almost half to songs
to characters from Storm Constantine's Wraeththu and Wraeththu
fanfic. This is despite (or perhaps because) Poe is a female vocalist.
Poe's femininity is yet another layer in Haunted but I think it has appeal for members of any gender (heck my husband's a fan and he's nothing at all like me). Like all my favorite female singers/songwriters, Poe conveys that conflicted duality which seems to represent the very essence of modern womanhood. She's sexy and provocative, but her inner child is a key character throughout the album. Songs like "Control," "Terrible Thought," "Wild," "Not a Virgin," and "Hey Pretty" present a woman fighting back and/or taking charge with almost gleefully malicious assertiveness. But songs like "Could've Gone Mad," "Lemon Meringue," "Spanish Doll," and "Amazed" are brimming with human weakness and the need for a relationship. Listen to Poe and chances are you'll either relate to her or be seduced by her - or, in the best cases, both.
Despite the symbols and eerie voices and haunted house sounds (I highly recommend
listening with headphones to catch the full effects), when it
comes down to it Poe is just a person dealing with life's big
issues. But life (and death) is only as simple as you make it
and Poe's Haunted is anything but simple. I think she sums
it up best in the original version of "Hey Pretty":
Well I've got a mind full of wicked designs
I've got a non-stop-whole in my head-imagination
I can't forget I am a sole architect
I built the shadows here
I built the growl in the voice I fear
You know me now but to do better than that
You've got to follow me
Boy I'm trying to show you where I'm at
Like I said, lots and lots of layers.
About the Author:
Bridgette Parker is co-author of the Wraeththu Mythos novel Breeding
Discontent, as well as several other pieces of Wraeththtu fan fiction. can
be reached at bridgetteparker@hotmail.com.
