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HAUNTING AND MELANCHOLIC
VA - Haunting Ballads & Melancholic Masterpieces (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)
When I call this box set Haunting Ballads & Melancholic Masterpieces, I’m not reaching for drama, I’m naming the feeling that threads through every track I’ve chosen. These songs linger. They move with us, shadow us, and refuse to fade once heard. The set exists because I wanted to capture that elusive quality, music that unsettles and comforts at the same time, that makes silence feel charged after the last note dies away.
Each track here was chosen not for popularity, but for resonance. Some are rare, tucked away on forgotten labels, others are more familiar but reframed in this context. Together they form a dialogue across decades and genres, proving that “haunting” is not confined to minor keys or ghostly atmospheres, it can be found in a fragile vocal, a drifting synth line, or a lyric that cuts deeper than expected.
The title Haunting Masterpieces elevates the idea beyond mood. These aren’t just songs that sound eerie, they are works that master the art of staying with us. They haunt because they move, through memory, through motion, through the spaces we carry inside. The compilation is more a journey, a moody, evocative selection spanning genres. Each CD flows into the next, building a landscape where melancholy and beauty coexist.
I wanted listeners to explore further, to hear how these tracks converse with one another. Notice how a spectral ambient piece can sit beside a stark ballad, how a pulsing rhythm can still ache with longing. This set is my attempt to map the terrain of haunting, not as a genre, but as an emotional state. If you let it, the music will follow you long after the box is closed.
The set follows these themes:
CD1 - Ethereal Voices & Acoustic Shadows Whispers and fragile tones drift through this opening disc. Voices dissolve into acoustic textures, creating presence and absence at once. These tracks haunt by intimacy, lingering in silence. Ethereal Voices & Acoustic Shadows begins the journey with music that feels near yet impossibly distant, setting the box set’s spectral tone.
CD2 - Gothic Echoes & Chamber Despair Dark chords and solemn atmospheres define this disc. Gothic echoes reverberate like candlelight in stone halls, while chamber pieces embody confinement and sorrow. Each track was chosen for its shadowed beauty, revealing haunting as grandeur in decay. Gothic Echoes & Chamber Despair deepens the mood with elegance carved from loss.
CD3 - Melancholy in Motion Explores haunting as movement. Ambient landscapes and pulsing rhythms drift forward yet remain tethered to sadness. Each track embodies journeys that ache, motion that never escapes memory. Melancholy in Motion reminds us haunting is not static, it follows, pursues, and moves with us through time and feeling.
CD4 - Soul Wounds & Lyrical Ghosts Closing the set, these tracks reveal haunting as vulnerability. Lyrics echo like scars, voices carry wounds that never heal. Each song lingers because it speaks from pain and beauty intertwined. Soul Wounds & Lyrical Ghosts ends the journey with music that feels deeply human, leaving listeners changed by its resonance.
I hope this set is enjoyed and opens an avenue for further exploration. (B)
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Track lists
CD1 Ethereal Voices & Acoustic Shadows
01 Nick Drake - Riverman 4:18 1969
02 Elliott Smith - Between The Bars 2:22 1997
03 Bon Iver - Re- Stacks 6:29 2008
04 Marissa Nadler - Drive 5:36 2014
05 Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr. 3:19 2005
06 Iron and Wine - Naked as We Came 2:32 2004
07 Agnes Obel - Riverside 3:48 2010
08 Laura Marling - What He Wrote 4:07 2010
09 Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats 2:40 2006
10 Mazzy Star - Fade Into You 4:57 1993
11 Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah 6:53 1994
12 Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter 4:46 2025
13 Phoebe Bridgers - Funeral 3:52 2017
14 Aldous Harding - Imagining My Man 5:52 2017
15 Cat Power - Metal Heart 3:59 1998
16 Lisa Germano - Into Oblivion 4:10 2006
17 Low - Lullaby 9:50 1994
18 Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle - You Missed My Heart 5:40 2013
19 Joanna Newsom - Sawdust & Diamonds 9:55 2006
20 Vashti Bunyan - Diamond Day 1:47 1970
CD2 Gothic Echoes & Chamber Despair
01 Antony and the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone 4:42 2005
02 Dead Can Dance - The Host of Seraphim 6:16 1988
03 This Mortal Coil - Song to the Siren 3:30 1983
04 Scott Walker - It's Raining Today 4:01 1969
05 Nico - These Days 3:33 1967
06 Leonard Cohen - A Singer Must Die 3:22 1974
07 Kate Bush - This Woman's Work 3:36 1989
08 Julee Cruise - Falling 4:12 1990
09 Lisa Gerrard - Sanvean (I Am Your Shadow) 3:51 1995
10 Tindersticks - Don't Look Down 4:19 1997
11 David Sylvian - Orpheus 4:51 1988
12 Cocteau Twins - Otterley 3:59 1984
13 Bat for Lashes - If I Knew 4:16 2016
14 Rufus Wainwright; Anohni - Going to A Town 4:16 2007
15 Perfume Genius - Choir 2:28 2017
16 Susanne Sundf r - Undercover 4:19 2017
17 Anna Von Hausswolff - The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra 6:08 2017
18 Soap&Skin - Spiracle 2:48 2009
19 Julia Holter - Sea Calls Me Home 3:07 2015
20 Chelsea Wolfe - The Way We Used To 2:47 2012
CD3 Melancholy in Motion
01 Sigur R s - Untitled #3 (Samskeyt)i 6:33 2002
02 Explosions in The Sky - First Breath After Coma 9:40 2003
03 Max Richter - On The Nature of Daylight 6:11 2004
04 A Winged Victory for The Sullen - Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears 4:25 2011
05 Stars of the Lid - Requiem for Dying Mothers Part 2 7:37 2001
06 J hann J hannsson - Englaborn 5:09 2002
07 Rachel s - Water From the Same Source 6:18 2003
08 Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Dead Flag Blues (Edit) 3:01 1997
09 Balmorhea - Remembrance 5:49 2009
10 Eluvium - Ostinatio 6:10 2007
11 Tim Hecker - Seasick 4:31 2021
12 William Basinski - Tear Vial 4:47 2020
13 Low Roar - I'll Keep Coming 5:52 2014
14 Hammock - Turn Away and Return 5:13 2016
15 Helios - Emancipation 2:34 2006
16 Mogwai - Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home 5:56 1997
17 MONO - Ashes in the Snow 11:45 2009
18 Biosphere - Blue Monday 5:27 2011
19 Ryuichi Sakamoto - solari 3:51 2017
20 Akira Kosemura - Someday 4:33 2016
CD4 Soul Wounds & Lyrical Ghosts
01 Johnny Cash - Hurt 3:38 2002
02 Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit 3:11 1939
03 Pearl Jam - Black 5:43 1991
04 Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely 5:56 2000
05 National - About Today 4:10 2004
06 Fleetwood Mac - Storms 5:30 1979
07 Tracy Chapman - Behind The Wall 1:49 1988
08 Lou Reed - Perfect Day 3:39 1972
09 Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence 3:09 1965
10 Bob Dylan - Not Dark Yet 6:27 1997
11 PJ Harvey - The Dancer 4:05 1995
12 Mark Lanegan - One Hundred Days 4:36 2004
13 Tom Waits - Time 3:56 1985
14 Beth Gibbons; Rustin Man - Funny Time of Year 6:48 2002
15 Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind 2:34 2021
16 Travis - The Humpty Dumpty Love Song 5:03 2001
17 Damien Jurado - Ohio 3:41 1999
18 Sharon Van Etten - Love More 5:14 2010
19 Keaton Henson - You 4:42 2013
20 Leonard Cohen - A Thousand Kisses Deep 6:29 2001
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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A magnificent compilation. Thank you BB for all of your posts, and thank you from all of your followers who love music and learn so much from your variety of great music.
ReplyDeleteHi wiseboy1952.
DeleteReally glad this collection resonated with you. It means a lot to know my mixes continue to offer something worthwhile for those who love digging into music’s many corners.
Thanks for the generous words. Continue to enjoy your musical explorations.
Cheers.
What a treasure you are - your knowledge plus your work ethic plus your generosity!
ReplyDeleteThanks, BillyMac
DeleteThat’s very kind of you to say. I just enjoy sharing the music and keeping these sounds in circulation. Knowing it connects with others makes the work worthwhile. Thanks for the generous words.
Cheers
Fantastic compilation! Thanks a lot BB, each friday gives us a master work.
ReplyDeleteHi Hervé.
DeleteIt’s really my pleasure putting these Friday sets together, and knowing they are appreciated well on your end makes the work rewarding. Thanks for the kind words.
Cheers.
A wonderful, wonderful compilation - thank you BB.
ReplyDeleteHi Giulio
DeleteReally glad this set spoke to you. It was a rewarding one to shape, and hearing it being enjoyed is worth the effort that went into this box sets. Thanks for the kind words.
Cheers
The perfect soundtrack for a hollow night, dusk falling and a box filled with memories to investigate. Quiet sadness, quiet joy and the solace of souls reaching out to remind us that we are not alone, that others have sketched our feelings with a palette of music. As ever, thank you BB.
ReplyDeleteHi twinsoulz.
DeleteYou’ve put the feeling into words beautifully. These pieces do have a way of opening old boxes and letting the light fall where it needs to. Quiet sadness, quiet joy, that’s the territory this set was meant to hold. Thanks for sharing the moment.
Cheers.
Another excellent compilation BB, well curated. Good see artists like Dead Can Dance, Lisa Gerrard and Sigur Ros in there too
ReplyDeleteThanks, MM.
DeleteGlad this one worked for you. Those artists bring a depth and atmosphere that fit the mood perfectly, so it was a pleasure weaving them into the set. Thanks again for the kind words.
Cheers
Man, I wish reality was arranged such that you and I could sit and listen to music together. It's clear that you listen with your whole self and really think about what you have heard. It would be such a blast to hear your thoughts on individual tracks. Be well, and thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Pukiko
DeleteThat’s a generous thought. Sharing music with someone who listens deeply is always a pleasure, and I’m glad the care that goes into these sets is recognised. The real joy is knowing the tracks spark reflection and feeling for others too. Thanks for the kind words.
Cheers.
Songs that converse with one another require delicate balances and lot of feeling.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this genius stroll BB!
Hi John.
DeleteI am delighted that interplay came through for you. Getting these tracks to speak in the right tone and balance is always the quiet challenge behind a set like this and some take real effort to finalise.
I’ve been aiming to shape collections you don’t really see elsewhere.
Thanks for the thoughtful words.
Cheers.
Thanks Butterboy for another great set, although we have enough melancholy around us!
ReplyDeleteLittle Bil.
DeleteThere’s certainly no shortage of melancholy around us, but sometimes these quieter pieces help make a bit more sense of it. Glad it still worked for you.
Cheers.
I wholeheartedly agree with all the comments so far — it's a magnificent and masterful compilation, BB! For me, CD 3 is even more outstanding. From Explosions in the Sky to Richter, and from the Canadian avant-gardists to Basinski and Mogwai, you have created a unique sequence and interplay. Respect, and many thanks! Best, TC
ReplyDelete
DeleteHi TC.
Really glad CD3 stood out for you. That CD3 set took a lot of quiet shaping to get the flow right, so it’s rewarding to hear the sequence is being enjoyed. Thanks for the thoughtful words and for listening so closely.
Cheers.
What a nice set! I had probably put a bunch of these songs onto mixtapes a few decades ago.Great span of years as well. Thank you for all the music
ReplyDeleteHi Dayna.
DeleteGlad this set hit the spot for you. A lot of these songs have lived long lives on mixtapes and in old boxes, so it’s nice when they find their way back into the room again. The span of years was part of the fun with this one. Thanks for your kind words.
Cheers.
What a fantastic selection and theme. This is plain and simple beautiful, Thanks BB
ReplyDeleteHi Andy Swapp.
DeleteThank you.
This one was all about holding a simple, beautiful mood from start to finish, so it’s great to hear it is being well received.
Cheers.