“A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, And the dry stone no sound of water. Only There is shadow under this red rock, (Come in under the shadow of this red rock), And I will show you something different from either Your shadow at morning striding behind you Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; I will show you fear in a handful of dust.”
“My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.
'Speak to me. Why do you never speak? Speak.
'What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?
'I never know what you are thinking. Think.”
The Waste Land is one of the most impactful pieces of poetry that I have ever read. A British work written in the wake of WWI, it is an early example of modernism in poetry, and in fact inspired the entire literary movement almost on its own. It requires heavy interpretation and direct attention from the reader to understand and digest it.
The appeal of the poem, for me, is its disjointed structure, incredibly moving poeticism, occasionally manic internal and external dialogue, dark and abstract imagery, a feeling of disassociation from the narrator(s), and a pervasive atmosphere that hovers in a liminal state between melancholy and despair. It should be noted that there are glimmers of hope and humor here and there, not all dark. It's probably my favorite poem of all time.
Below is a playlist of songs that come to mind as representative of the kind of mood that The Waste Land invokes in me. As this mood is varied but distinct, the selections are necessarily broad in a way, but all seem to specifically fit. I've been working on this quite a while and feel good about the selections and sequencing. The format is: #. Artist - Song || Genres || Release Year || Country
I hope you enjoy.
1. Ulver - EOS || Dark Ambient || 2007 || Norway
2. Beth Gibbons - Floating on a Moment || Chamber Folk, Psychedelic Folk || 2024 || UK
3. This Heat - 24 Track Loop || Industrial, Tape Music || 1979 || UK
4. Laurie Anderson - O Superman || Minimalism, Art Pop, Experimental || 1982 || USA
5. Frédéric Chopin - Prelude in D-Flat Major, Op. 28 No. 15 ('Raindrop') || Romantic Classical || 1841 || Poland
6. Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out) || Alternative Rock || 1995 || UK
7. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand || Post-Punk, Dark Cabaret, Alternative Rock || 1994 || Australia
8. Tom Waits - Alice || Singer/Songwriter, Vocal Jazz || 2002 || USA
9. Have a Nice Life - Bloodhail || Post-Rock || 2007 || USA
10. Danny Brown - Really Doe || Experimental Hip Hop || 2016 || USA
11. Scott Walker - Epizootics! || Experimental || 2012 || USA
12. Portishead - Roads || Trip Hop || 1994 || UK
13. Björk - Hyperballad || Art Pop, Trip Hop, Electronic || 1995 || Iceland
14. Joanna Newsom - Sawdust & Diamonds || Chamber Folk, Progressive Folk || 2006 || USA
15. Swans - Helpless Child || Post-Rock || 1996 || USA
16. The Drones - Another Rousing Chorus You Idiots!!! || Punk Blues || 2005 || Australia
17. Kendrick Lamar - How Much a Dollar Cost || Conscious Hip Hop, Jazz Rap, Neo-Soul || 2016 || USA
18. Sonic Youth - Schizophrenia || Noise Rock, Art Rock || 1987 || USA
19. Chelsea Wolfe - Feral Love || Darkwave, Electronic || 2013 || USA
20. Julien Baker - Claws in Your Back || Singer/Songwriter || 2017 || USA
21. Chelsea Wolfe - Halfsleeper || Darkwave, Singer/Songwriter, Dark Folk || 2010 || USA
22. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - City of Refuge || Post-Punk || 1988 || Australia
23. The Drones - Jezebel || Punk Blues || 2006 || Australia
24. FKA twigs - Cellophane || Ambient Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Art Pop || 2019 || UK
25. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Jesus Alone || Dark Ambient, Ambient Pop || 2016 || Australia
26. Deerhunter - Agoraphobia || Indie Rock, Shoegaze || 2008 || USA
27. Grouper - Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping || Ambient, Psychedelic Folk || 2008 || USA
28. AJJ - Rejoice || Folk Punk, Anti-Folk || 2007 || USA
29. Cannibal Ox - Ox Out the Cage || Experimental Hip Hop, Abstract Hip Hop || 2001 || USA
30. PJ Harvey - Down by the Water || Alternative Rock, Art Rock, Singer/Songwriter || 1995 || UK
31. Xiu Xiu - I Luv the Valley OH! || Experimental, Art Pop || 2004 || USA
32. Akira Yamaoka - Null Moon || Video Game Soundtrack, Dark Ambient, Post-Industrial || 2001 || Japan
33. Akira Yamaoka - Terror In the Depths of the Fog || Video Game Soundtrack, Dark Ambient, Post-Industrial || 2001 || Japan
34. Radiohead - Climbing Up the Walls || Experimental Rock || 1997 || UK
35. Xiu Xiu - Apistat Commander || Experimental Rock, Art Pop || 2003 || USA
36. Talking Heads - Listening Wind || Post-Punk, New Wave, Experimental Rock || 1980 || USA
37. Coldplay - Sparks || Pop Rock, Britpop || 2000 || UK
38. Thom Yorke - Analyze || IDM || 2006 || UK
39. Dead Can Dance - The Host of Seraphim || Neoclassical Darkwave || 1988 || Australia
40. Richard Wagner - Tristan und Isolde: Prelude und Liebestod || Romantic Classical || 1857 || Germany
41. Mount Eerie - Real Death || Indie Folk, Singer/Songwriter || 2017 || USA
42. Deerhunter - Helicopter || Dream Pop, Indie Rock || 2010 || USA
43. The National - Conversation 16 || Indie Rock || 2010 || USA
44. Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat || Contemporary Folk, Singer/Songwriter || 1971 || Canada
45. Phoebe Bridgers - I Know the End || Indie Folk, Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter || 2020 || USA
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