Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom

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Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom
An old, washed-out photo of an early 20th century ballroom.
Studio album by
the Caretaker
Released1 September 1999 (1999-09-01)
Genre
Length72:20
LabelV/Vm Test
ProducerLeyland Kirby
The Caretaker chronology
Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom
(1999) 		A Stairway to the Stars
(2001)

Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom is the debut studio album by the Caretaker, an alias of musician Leyland Kirby. Released in 1999, it consists of an influence from the horror film The Shining, manipulating songs from the 1920s to resemble the film's music. It differed from Kirby's earlier works in that it did not manipulate pop songs to create noise albums, as he did under the V/Vm alias. It rather slowed down big band records to create a hauntological atmosphere, as he did on the Caretaker's early albums. However, the packaging was the same as other V/Vm releases. The album was met with positivity from music critics, who praised its hauntological themes.

Background[]

In the late 1990s, English musician Leyland Kirby started recording as V/Vm, releasing noise albums sampled from pop songs.[1] Controversial aspects, such as copyright concerns and recordings of pigs feeding, were a prominent part of the alias.[2] The alias was prolific, releasing in vinyl and CD on limited numbers.[3] In 1999, inspired by the haunted ballroom scene from the horror film The Shining,[4] Kirby released Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom.[5] Contrary to other releases, it was under the Caretaker alias, which was named after one of the film's characters.[6] The pseudonym started with the exploration of nostalgia but would later shift into themes of memory and its deterioration. This started with Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia (2005), which explored the disorder of same name.[7] The Caretaker's breakthrough album, An Empty Bliss Beyond This World (2011) was inspired by a study about Alzheimer's disease.[8] Kirby's final release under the alias, Everywhere at the End of Time (2016–2019) is a depiction of the stages of dementia.[9] It uses the track "Friends past reunited" of Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom in its last six minutes. Though the original piece used in "Friends past reunited" has been identified, being the aria "Lasst mich ihn nur noch einmal küssen" from St Luke Passion, BWV 246, the exact performance used for the sample remains unknown, and an ongoing effort exists to identify it.[10]

Composition and style[]

Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom samples records from the 1920s and manipulates them to resemble the music from The Shining.[3][11][12] The Caretaker's debut album,[13][14][9] it explores ambient,[3] noise,[15] choral, dark ambient, drone, industrial,[16] big band,[6] and experimental.[17] The record is more noise-orientated than later Caretaker releases, often baring resemblance to Kirby's work as V/Vm.[18] The tracks feature aspects such as vocals filtered through reverberation and vinyl crackle, with an effect of hauntology.[3] The original samples are slowed down, distorted, and echoed for an intent of creating a disorientation to the listener, with layers applied akin to films by David Lynch.[6][16] It incorporates feelings of melancholy by time stretching waltzes and voices.[6] Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom has a much more prominent hauntological influence than other Caretaker records.[19] Along with releases by the Caretaker such as A Stairway to the Stars and Persistent Repetition of Phrases, it remains as one of his most prominent ambient records.[20] It is part of the Caretaker's haunted ballroom trilogy, spanning Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom, A Stairway to the Stars, and We'll All Go Riding on a Rainbow.[21] Sampled artists include Fats Waller and Al Bowlly.[22][23] Writer Adam Parkinson cited the album as a "sonic crystal, as the 'actual' music co-exists in close circuits with its 'virtual' counterpart, and we are listening to both a 'presence' and an 'absence'."[24]

Noise tracks include "One thousand memories", "Den of iniquity", and "September 1939", the last referencing the invasion of Poland. They have a style akin to Japanese musician Merzbow.[3] In "Haunting me", the first vocal track, drones distort the voice so that its words may not be recognized.[16] It is slowed down to the point where the melodies resemble a hissing sound, like in The Disintegration Loops by avant-garde composer William Basinski.[6] Other vocal tracks include "Dream Waltz", "In the dark", and "From out of nowhere", whereby vocals and, in occasion, choirs, start panning.[16] "In the dark", while presenting a more coherent structure, has metallic screeches accompanying the instrumentals, rising and falling as the song progresses. Its vocals, pitched down to an extreme level, produce the atmosphere of a haunted ballroom, like in The Shining.[19] By "You and the night", there are two vocals at different pitches creating the impression that there is a child accompanying the main singer. The band later plays with a distorted brass, thus increasing the song's insane feel.[16] The record ends with "Midnight, the stars and you", the song used in the ending credits for The Shining.[22]

Packaging and release[]

Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom was released after V/Vm's double CD AuralOffalWaffleTenPintsOfBitterAndABagOfPorkScratchings. Before AuralOffalWaffle, there have been several releases on vinyl records at the alias' record label, V/Vm Test. The packaging came in a zipped bag with photocopied paper inserts, akin to AuralOffalWaffle.[3] Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom was released on 1 September 1999.[25][26]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[27]
Musique Machine4/5 stars[16]

Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom was praised due to its hauntological style. Brainwashed's critic Mark Weddle noted the album's simultaneous "a bit disturbing, a bit humorous and a bit beautiful" feel as "Loads of fun!". He noted its noise tracks as having sounds "that would make Merzbow jealous."[3] Duncan Simpson, writing for Musique Machine, felt the record's "unique listening experience [...] is just the trick" for fans of dark ambient/industrial music.[16] The A.V. Club's Seal O'Neal stated Kirby's work at depicting memories as "the ghosts that torment us" was "like listening to death itself."[6] According to writer Corey Seymour from magazine Vogue, the title Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom "goes a long way in describing the music."[28]

Track listing[]

Adapted from Bandcamp and Brainwashed.[3][25] The CD version features an interval between "Reckless Night" and "Thronged with Ghosts".[3]

Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Haunted Ballroom (1)"3:44
2."By the Seaside"4:00
3."One Thousand Memories"1:25
4."Haunting Me"3:48
5."A Summer Romance"3:05
6."Den of Iniquity"2:45
7."Dream Waltz"3:29
8."A Handful of Stars"3:34
9."Request Dance"5:09
10."In the Dark"3:02
11."Reckless Night"3:02
12."Thronged with Ghosts"3:48
13."From Out of Nowhere"3:45
14."Friends Past Reunited (1)"2:00
15."You and the Night"3:12
16."Moonlight Serenade"2:34
17."Disillusioned"2:41
18."The Revolving Bandstand"0:47
19."Garden of Weeds"3:06
20."'Excuse Me' for Ladies"0:59
21."In Days of Old"2:14
22."September 1939"1:57
23."Thanks"3:25
24."The Haunted Ballroom (2)"3:20
25."Midnight, the stars and you" (untitled on the CD release)3:29
Total length:72:20

References[]

  1. ^ Doran, John (18 August 2016). "Cult Electronic Noise Act V/VM Return". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  2. ^ Kellman, Andy (24 March 2017). "James Leyland Kirby | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Weddle, Mark (1999). "CD Review: The Caretaker Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom". Brainwashed. Archived from the original on 3 October 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  4. ^ Ryan, Will (14 February 2012). "Album Review: The Caretaker – Patience (After Sebald)". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  5. ^ Tyler, Kieron (7 October 2018). "Reissue CDs Weekly: Kubrick's Music". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f O'Neal, Seal (31 October 2013). "A scene from The Shining inspired a haunting ode to dying memory". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  7. ^ McKeating, Scott (3 January 2006). "The Caretaker - Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  8. ^ Savage, Rowan (22 June 2011). "The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World | Music Review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Melfi, Daniel (7 October 2019). "Leyland James Kirby On The Caretaker, Alzheimer's Disease And His Show At Unsound Festival". Telekom Electronic Beats. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  10. ^ Bit-Ghost (7 January 2021). ""Friends past reunited" Potential Sample". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
    Commentary by vvmtest: "It's close and a good find but it's 100% not the sample used, the version I used was not as professionally recorded and had piano as the leading instrument."
  11. ^ mugwump, jonny (31 July 2008). "Jon Fletcher Gets To Grips With The Caretaker". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  12. ^ Gibb, Rory (16 November 2012). "Lee Gamble - Dutch Tvashar Plumes | Reviews". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  13. ^ Garvey, Meaghan (22 October 2020). "What Happens When TikTok Looks To The Avant-Garde For A Challenge?". NPR. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Final release for The Caretaker project after 20 years". The Wire. 19 March 2019. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  15. ^ Parks, Andrew (17 October 2016). "Leyland Kirby on The Caretaker's New Project: Six Albums Exploring Dementia". Bandcamp Daily. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Simpson, Duncan (1999). "The Caretaker - Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom". Musique Machine. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  17. ^ Eden Arielle, Gordon (2 March 2021). "Villains and Main Characters: Overthinking Aesthetic Playlists". PopDust. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  18. ^ Breznikar, Klemen (20 March 2012). "The Caretaker interview with James Leyland Kirby". Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Tanaka, Mitchell (22 September 2020). "The Caretaker Is Ambient Music Turned Existential". Study Breaks. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  20. ^ "FACT mix 45: The Caretaker". Fact. 5 May 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  21. ^ Hazelwood, Holly (18 January 2021). "Rediscover: The Caretaker: Everywhere at the End of Time". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b Young, Killian (31 July 2014). "How an Old Jazz Song Pays Homage to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining". Consequence. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  23. ^ Fox, Charlie (17 August 2012). "Multiple Nightmares: The Haunted Legacy Of Lynch's Eraserhead Soundtrack". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  24. ^ Parkinson, Adam (September 2011). "Encountering the Hidden Worlds of Musical Objects" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Caretaker, The (1 September 1999). "Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  26. ^ Allen, Richard (3 June 2019). "Ivan Seal / The Caretaker ~ Everywhere at the end of time / everywhere, an empty bliss". A Closer Listen. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  27. ^ "Selected Memories From the Haunted Ballroom". AllMusic. 25 October 1999. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  28. ^ Seymour, Corey (14 December 2018). "The Caretaker's Musical Project Is One Part Psychological Experiment, One Part Auditory Revelation". Vogue. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2021.

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