Esoterica Hysteria
My Mixtape’s A Masterpiece is a weekly feature in which a guest compiles a playlist around some theme. This week, Jackie Jardine assembles 12 songs for an occult-y evening. Read Jackie’s thoughts on each song and listen along to the Spotify playlist on top and/or the YouTube playlist at the bottom of the post.
To listen to this mixtape means your doom. Twelve tracks of heresy and heady vibes that will leave their mark upon you. Hark! A contract between the keeper of forbidden knowledge and those who seek to learn. Now gather your familiars and take heed. This is Esoterica Hysteria.
1) “Mr. Crowley” by Ozzy Osbourne
First and foremost, RIP to the legend. Picking just one from Osbourne’s extensively occult-minded catalogue was tough. But in the end it had to the song about ceremonial magician, self-proclaimed prophet, and prominent occultist Aleister Crowley. Plus that Randy Rhoads guitar solo? Absolutely wicked.
2) “Satan Is His Name” by Holly Golightly
A slinky, sultry little sixties style number that sounds like an affair with Old Scratch himself. Holly Golightly is easily one of my favorite singer-songwriters. Her sixties sensibilities with the tobacco stained smokiness to her English accent make a bargain with the devil highly appealing.
3) “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac
I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to make a witchy mixtape without Stevie Nicks somewhere in the liner notes. And if you read into the history of how the song was written, the Welsh goddess Rhiannon factors heavily into the lyrics…though that wasn’t the original inspiration. Either way, Stevie is a woman truly taken by the wind.
4) “Olga’s Destruction (Volk Tape)” by Thom Yorke
Composed by The Radiohead frontman for Luca Guadagnino’s take on SUSPIRIA (2018), this track captures the heart of the dark arts behind a sinister dance academy. Dance as spell-working—the physicality of the body’s contortions—turns into a violent supernatural attack upon another dancer, hence the title “Olga’s Destruction.” It’s quite a scene, but the song conjures a certain darkness all on its own.
5) “I Put A Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
While it was so tempting to include Nina Simone’s version, I had to ultimately go with the OG for his sense of spectacle. Hawkins and his unpredictable shouts made singing spells as enigmatic as his personality: raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically unique.
6) “The Mummer’s Dance” by Loreena McKennitt
A Celtic song about a traveling troupe of actors roaming from town to town. McKennitt’s voice is an ethereal guide through the journey celebrating a springtime holiday that takes you along for the ride. Some may knock New Age music, but every once in a while a little Enya or Loreena can take you back to the land and its many mysteries within.
7) “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were nerds. Lord of the Rings-loving, folklore-inspired, Dungeons & Dragons sex gods who were the titans of rock through the 1970s. And it was no secret that guitarist Jimmy Page had a fascination with the occult. So when the whispers about the evil of rock and roll exploded into full blown “satanic panic,” of course Zeppelin was implicated. “Stairway” was specifically mentioned with accusations of backmasking the following ode to the devil within the track: “Oh, here's to my sweet Satan/The one whose little path would make me sad/whose power is Satan/He’ll give, he’ll give you 666/There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan. Fact or fiction? Who cares? It’s an interesting entry into the annals of occult entertainment.
8) “You Cannot Be Saved From The Grave” by Lonesome Wyatt And The Holy Spooks
Not much is known about the mysteriously macabre Lonesome Wyatt and his creative collaborators. But the man does a dirge like nobody’s business. Lo-fi and morose, just like any ghastly tale of unquiet death should be.
9) “Dignitaries of Hell” by Coven
It pains me to say that I only just discovered Coven last year. Sixties. Occult. Rock. Where have you been all my life? “In this place where Satan is said to dwell, he leads his legions through the depths of hell. Beelzebub, the prince, is second in line. Astaroth, the duke, is drunk with wine. Lucifer, the prime minister, handles affairs…” A little psychedelic, a little doom, a little lyrical history of the occult.
10) “Gingerbread Coffin” by Rasputina
Chamber rock group Rasputina is always a fun little cello-scored romp around Victorian-era eccentricities. And “Gingerbread Coffin” is especially true to theme for its corruption of the children through a (pretend? Maybe not) black mass. With the Victorian age of spiritualism and the occult, I’m sure these kids were “passing around an old teacup filled up with dead flies.” Surprise, indeed.
11) “Benera” by Lord Summerisle
I don’t know much about Lord Summerisle. But I know what I like. Droning guitars and trippy riffed instrumentals that conjures hazy seventies occult vibes…and a nod to THE WICKER MAN? I like it a lot. Do yourself a favor: pick up their Postum & Demo album from the Library of The Occult label. Then go summon yourself a demon.
12) “Season Of The Witch” by Donovan
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Including “Season of the Witch” is a little hokey. A little too on the nose. A little too much Halloween. But the joke’s on you, buddy. There is never too much Halloween. And besides, this sinister little psychedelic song doesn’t dive too much into the metaphysical, the mystical or the occult…but still manages to coast through their vibe just fine. And with that it’s time to close the tome.
