Livid Looking Glass Compilation No. 1

“Livid Looking Glass” is a new magazine focused on dark alternative music; published in tandem with the magazine’s first issue is this compilation of artists featured within its pages. While there’s a great variety of music here, ranging from the edgy trip-hop of Hungry Lucy’s “You Are” and to the ambient industrial soundscapes of Beyond Sensory Experience’s “The Dull Routine of Existence,” there’s a certain aesthetic that runs throughout and brings the various styles together. Generally speaking, the featured artists all tend towards the softer side of dark music, emphasizing wistfulness and lighter, more pop-influenced musicianship over aggression and heaviness. Kirlian Camera opens the disk with the soft ethereal synthpop of “K-Pax,” while Collection D’Arnell-Andrea adds violins and gothic rock guitar to electroclash-influenced rhythm programming on “The Spirits of the Dead.” Johnny Hollow’s “Bag of Snow” is compelling enough; with semi-spoken female vocals and minor-key piano chords, it’s a bit like what Lydia Lunch would sound like if she weren’t so unpleasant. Tiger Lillies do operetta with creepy humor on “Mummy,” the most eccentric track on an already eccentric CD, while Louisa John-Krol’s “Escalder’s Tree Ride” is straight out of the “Lord of the Rings” with its gentle dulcimers and folksy lyricism. The most outstanding tracks, though, are more straightforward, if still in the moody pop vein: Mankind Is Obsolete’s Curve-influenced “She” is gorgeous electronic-laced rock ‘n’ roll, while the Hungry Ghost’s “Nobody Knows” blends laid-back breakbeats and acoustic guitars like trip-hop gone beatnik. There’s a little something for everyone here, and it’s all delightfully obscure. Best of all, it’s only five bucks (and the magazine is free!), so broaden your musical palette and pick this one up.

For more information, visit www.lividlookingglass.com.