| Lullaby Land | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 25, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Genre | Industrial rock, sound collage, electro | |||
| Length | 73:00 | |||
| Label | Re-Constriction | |||
| Producer | Vampire Rodents | |||
| Vampire Rodents chronology | ||||
| ||||
Lullaby Land is the third studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on October 25, 1993, by Re-Constriction Records. [1] The album utilizes strings, horns, and timpanis backed with industrial music tropes.
Daniel Vahnke's lyrics focus on topics such as referring to the UN is a genocide monitor, daring Muslims to nuke Belgrade, cattle drive-by shootings, and "the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi". [2] The album has much more emphasis on guitars than either of their previous releases, while retaining their usual sound.
The tracks "Trilobite" and "Nosedive" were made in collaboration with 'electronic junk punk' band Babyland and was first released on the Rivet Head Culture compilation under the band name Recliner. This collaboration would continue throughout the Rodents career.
Lullaby Land has been well received by critics, some even considering it among the greatest industrial albums ever recorded. Exclaim! called it their best work, saying "these folks can turn collage into counterpoint the way only masters of the avant-garde have done; Zappa comes to mind for those old enough to remember the delirious metamorphoses on Absolutely Free." Aiding & Abetting also gave it a positive review, saying "layer upon layer of samples and instruments combine into an almost symphonic orgy of sound." and compared it favorably to Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet . [3] Keyboard said "Unlike the single-mindedness of death metal (which has some of the terroristic sounds and voices), this music offers more color and intellectual possibilities. But it also has industrial music's sense of intensity."
Much was said about the eclecticism of the music, with i/e praising the band for pushing the boundaries of industrial music, saying "with no repeated chorus rhymes and musical riffs, they forge ahead, staying away from stale techno and industrial treachery" and that "nobody creates the different moods and emotional states that the Vampires create." Buzz (magazine) agreed, saying "The Rodents have scoffed at conventional song formation and continue to do so, incorporation cello and violin into a deranged stew that sounds something like Robocop dismembering an orchestra. Off the beaten path as far as electronic music goes: you can dance, but these guys force you to think, too." RIP also praised the variety of the album, saying "Lullaby Land is a seething cauldron on cello (!), guitar, live percussion, and a very eccentric repertoire of samples that often implode into a 1000 points of noise," concluding that "I was particularly taken with the moody ambience of Akrotiri and propulsive density of Bosch Erotiqe."
The oppressive atmosphere of the album was also subject to praise, with Welcomat describing the music as "a merciless castigation of contemporary society" that "unfolds against a gothic backdrop and laments the strangle hold materialism, rudeness and decadence have on society." Gear credited the band with creating a cinematic experience with their music, saying they "want to create classic horror movies and are using music, not film, as their medium. Bypassing the too easy and predictable formula of blood and screams, the Rodents' vision involves nail-biting strings, don't-open-that-door horn blasts, bump-in-the-night drum beats, and mortuary vocals to provide a chair-arm gripping listening experience." Plazm noted that "it would be really hard to compare this to anything. There's just this strong emotional power that this band has through their music and leaves me dumbfounded to describe this piece of art to the fullest way."
All lyrics are written by Daniel Vahnke, except where noted; all music is composed by Daniel Vahnke, except "Passage" by Victor Wulf and "Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 100, D. 929" by Franz Schubert
| No. | Title | Lyrics/Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Trilobite" | Dan Gatto | 4:45 |
| 2. | "Catacomb" | 4:05 | |
| 3. | "Crib Death" | 4:23 | |
| 4. | "Dogchild" | 3:26 | |
| 5. | "Gargoyles" | Pall Jenkins | 3:54 |
| 6. | "Grace" | 4:34 | |
| 7. | "Tremulous" | 0:55 | |
| 8. | "Glow Worm" | 2:25 | |
| 9. | "Lullaby Land" | Jared Louche | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Dervish" | 3:57 | |
| 11. | "Scavenger" | 5:08 | |
| 12. | "Exuviate" | 5:13 | |
| 13. | "Akrotiri" | 4:13 | |
| 14. | "Toten Faschist" | 2:27 | |
| 15. | "Nosedive" | Dan Gatto | 3:09 |
| 16. | "Bosch Erotique" | 2:19 | |
| 17. | "Hubba Hubba" | 1:48 | |
| 18. | "Cartouche" | 1:55 | |
| 19. | "Awaken" | 1:46 | |
| 20. | "Raga Rodentia" | 5:45 | |
| 21. | "Passage" | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics/Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Trilobite" | Dan Gatto | 4:45 |
| 2. | "Gargoyles" | Pall Jenkins | 3:54 |
| 3. | "Grace" | 4:34 | |
| 4. | "Dogchild" | 3:26 | |
| 5. | "Crib Death" | 4:23 | |
| 6. | "Catacomb" | 4:05 | |
| 7. | "Glow Worm" | 2:25 | |
| 8. | "Lullaby Land" | Jared Louche | 3:06 |
| 9. | "Tremulous" | 0:55 | |
| 10. | "Scavenger" | 5:08 | |
| 11. | "Exuviate" | 5:13 | |
| 12. | "Dervish" | 3:57 | |
| 13. | "Akrotiri" | Dan Gatto | 4:13 |
| 14. | "Toten Faschist" | 2:27 | |
| 16. | "Bosch Erotique" | 2:16 | |
| 17. | "Hubba Hubba" | 1:48 | |
| 18. | "Cartouche" | 1:55 | |
| 19. | "Awaken" | 1:46 | |
| 20. | "Raga Rodentia" | 5:45 | |
| 21. | "Passage" | 3:39 | |
| 22. | "Lullaby Land II" | 3:10 | |
| 23. | "Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 100, D. 929 (Variation on Schubert)" | 2:28 | |
| 24. | "Numbing Device" (V. Rodents' Mix) | Mark Deadrick | 2:59 |
| 25. | "Nosedive" (Alternate Master) | Dan Gatto | 3:09 |
| 26. | "Bosch Erotique" (Alternate Master) | 2:19 |
| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Ondarock | Italy | "Rock Milestones" | * | [4] |
| "*" denotes an unordered list. | |||||
Adapted from the Lullaby Land liner notes. [5]
Vampire Rodents
Additional musicians
Production
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1993 | Re-Constriction | CD | REC-008 |
Babyland was an American performance-based independent electronic junk punk band from Los Angeles, California, featuring Dan Gatto performing vocals and electronics and Michael Smith on percussion. The band released six studio albums before disbanding in 2009: You Suck Crap (1992), A Total Letdown (1994), Who's Sorry Now (1995), Outlive Your Enemies (1998), The Finger (2004), Cavecraft (2008).
Dan Gatto is an American musician best recognized as the vocalist for synth punk band Babyland. He also collaborated with Vampire Rodents composer Daniel Vahnke on a project called Recliner. After Babyland dissolved in 2009, Gatto founded Continues as an outlet for his solo work.
Diatribe is the debut studio album of Diatribe, released on November 3, 1996 by Cargo and Re-Constriction Records.
Vampire Rodents was a sound collage and experimental music ensemble based out of Phoenix, Arizona, although its core members originally came from Canada. The creative nucleus of the project comprised vocalist and composer Daniel Vahnke and keyboardist Victor Wulf. Daniel Vahnke was primarily influenced by 20th-century classical and avant-garde music, whereas Wulf drew from new age, ambient and synth-driven pop music. Their work also dabbled in big band, bebop, musique concrète, industrial, electro, Indian classical and Greek music.
War Music is the debut studio album of Vampire Rodents, released in 1990 by V.R. Productions. It introduced the sound of the band, and several of the techniques they would use in their later works, such as sound clips and songs in different languages. Daniel has described War Music as being "a little primitive, but very funny".
Premonition is the second studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on May 19, 1992 by V.R. Productions. The album represented a musical shift for the band with the introduction of string instruments and further influence of classical music in the compositions. The album contains the most writing credits for composer Victor Wulf, who composed the music for five out of its twenty-one tracks.
Clockseed is the fourth studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on April 7, 1995, by Re-Constriction Records.
Gravity's Rim is the fifth studio album by the American experimental music band Vampire Rodents, released on May 14, 1996, by Fifth Colvmn Records.
Papa Woody is the first studio album by Ether Bunny, released on April 18, 1996 through Fifth Colvmn Records. Ether Bunny is the side project of Daniel Vahnke, the principal composer for Vampire Rodents.
Ether Bunny was the name of an experimental big band and sound collage project founded by composer Daniel Vahnke and based in Phoenix, Arizona. Ether Bunny's music was strongly influenced by the big band and cartoon music of the 30s and 40s but also drew elements from bebop, musique concrète, modern classical, hip hop, electro and industrial music. To date, Ether Bunny has released two albums: A debut album titled Papa Woody released in 1996 and a follow-up Attention Please in 2017. The name is a play on Easter Bunny.
Daniel Vahnke, sometimes credited as Anton Rathausen, is a Canadian composer and lyricist. He is best known as a co-founding member of Vampire Rodents, a band that integrated elements of classical, ambient, and industrial music into its work. Daniel is fluent in German, Latin and Chinese, all of which are used in his compositions.
Victor Wulf is a Canadian keyboard player and composer. He is recognized for his solo ambient music project Dilate and as a founding member of sound collage band Vampire Rodents.
Cyclos is the debut studio album of Dilate, released on February 13, 1996 by Hypnotic Records.
This article details the complete oeuvre of Canadian composer Daniel Vahnke. Between 1990 and 1996, Vahnke released six full-length studio albums both independently pressed and through a record label. Five of them were released as Vampire Rodents albums and one was ostensibly a solo album titled Papa Woody, which released under the name Ether Bunny.
Divide by Zero is the second studio album by Killing Floor, released on September 23, 1997 by Re-Constriction Records.
Apparatus is the eponymously titled and only album by Apparatus, released on August 1, 1995, by Re-Constriction Records. Promotional music videos were filmed for the songs "Come Alive" and "Hell's Home". After the album's publication the trio disbanded, with keyboardist David York and guitarist Scott Morgan forming the band Liquid Sex Decay later.
Noises in the Wall is the sixth studio album by American experimental music band Vampire Rodents, released on November 11, 2017 by Rodentia Productions.
The Iron Icon is the second EP by The Clay People, released in August 1995 by record label Re-Constriction Records.
Gravity's Rim (Instrumental Version) is a studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on July 20, 2018 by Rodentia Productions. It contains non-vocal versions of tracks from Vampire Rodents sixth studio album Gravity's Rim, including the tracks "Blind Acceleration", originally from the 1996 various artists compilation album Fascist Communist Revolutionaries, and "Smartass", an unreleased track listed on the album's back cover as its coda. Composer Daniel Vahnke had originally planned to issue the music on compact disc in late 1996 or early in 1997 but Fifth Colvmn Records went bankrupt and album's release date was cancelled.
Cut to the Chase is a compilation album by Vampire Rodents, released on November 12, 2019, by Rodentia Productions. The album compiles tracks from outside the band's main discography, namely the previously unreleased songs "Cut to the Chase", "Henry Catwallace", "Lizardman" and "Blind Acceleration", remixed tracks by Chemlab, Killing Floor and Penal Colony and the song "Cocked, Loaded & Ready" with the original opening intact.
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