I tried to get into this soundtrack, I really did. I enjoyed the movie, and this soundtrack has some elements that I enjoy. The atmosphere is beautiful, being both elegant and creepy at the same time (quite like the film, actually). However, the overall sound does get old after the first few tracks, and there isn't much interesting build. The atmosphere is doing all the heavy lifting, and while it is excellent in that respect, music needs more than just atmosphere to hook me.

16 Horsepower have always been dark, but this album tops all of them. The slower instrumentation makes for a more gloomy atmosphere, and David Eugene Edwards sounds great over it. Edwards once said that his music was too religious for secular people and too dark for religious people, and I can see why. Despite its religious undertones, this album is bleak with its odes to loneliness and broken hearts. I also love how experimental this album gets, with some borderline rock elements and even some shoegaze on the track Cinder Alley. I can see why this would make some traditional country fans turn away, but for me, it makes for 16 Horsepower's best album.

The Jesus and Mary Chain's first album Psychocandy is excellent. Darklands, not so much. Don't get me wrong, it has some great moments and a beautiful, gloomy atmosphere that fits the fall season perfectly. However, it's not as experimental, dangerous, or sexy as Psychocandy. It's a good gloomy alternative rock album, but that's about it.

Psychocandy is sexy as hell. That's the only way I can describe it. When I read the lyrics of Just Like Honey for the first time, I was struck by how dangerous, abrasive, and dark, yet also how smooth, sexy, and oddly pleasant it was as a song. The rest of the album follows suit, with a mix of catchy melodies and distorted guitars. You'd think it would clash horribly, but it all works together surprisingly well. Sure, there are a few songs that lean too heavily towards the smooth side (looking at you, My Little Underground and Cut Dead), but overall this is an excellent album that makes me want to do some shit that's just as dangerous and sexy as this album.

What I love about this record is that for as dark as both the music and lyrics are, there's no glorification going on. The darkness and abrasiveness of the music alone combined with Steve Albini's howls fit the subject matter disturbingly well, and the lyrics are eerily accurate. They describe themes of pedophilia, mental illness, murder, alcoholism, racism, and corrupt authority figures in a way that makes the listener feel the horror they're describing. They manage to let the listener know that they are not condoning these acts without having to spell it out, both through the sound and through lines like "this will stay with you until you die" on Jordan, Minnesota. It's also eerie how relevant most of these songs still seem 35 years later.