This isn’t an album per se, but instead is an audio book of ‘The Yellow Sign’, a short story that appeared in the collection ‘The King In Yellow’ in 1895. When Nic Pizzolatto, creator of the television show ‘True Detective’, revealed that he was inspired by Chambers, Lovecraft, and other weird writers, the author received a resurgence of interest in his work, which he undoubtedly would have been pleased with if he hadn’t died in 1933. The story is narrated in the first person by Anthony D.P. Mann, a Canadian-based filmmaker and actor with five feature films and a lifetime of stage and radio to his credit. Now, what on earth am I doing reviewing a book? Well, the reason is that while Anthony is undertaking a wonderful job in the foreground there is music in the background, which works with the words to create the atmosphere and presence.
When it comes to film music there are a few bands and artists that spring to mind, but when it comes to horror then the only band I can quickly think of is the mighty Goblin, who will always be remembered for the awesome ‘Suspiria’. This may not be the full band, but the score has been written by Maurizio Guarini, who has worked on hundreds of film scores (as well of course recording and performing with Goblin). The result is quite incredible, as Anthony brings the words to life with amazing presence, and the music is perfect for the tale. Cadabra Records release ‘The Yellow Sign’ on June 30th, with a retail version as well as direct/deluxe label-only versions of the album planned. Both editions will be released in runs of 500 copies each, on 150-gram coloured vinyl and feature a twelve-page booklet with new liner notes by weird fiction scholar, S. T. Joshi, Maurizio Guarini, and newly commissioned art by Alan Brown. The direct version is housed in deluxe heavy weight gatefold tip-on jacket, includes an 18” x 24” promotional poster, and features exclusive centrefold art only for this edition. For more details visit http://www.cadabrarecords.com
