Helmed by theater and film aficionados, The Silence of the Lambs. After making the girl slather herself in salve so her skin will be smooth when he butchers her, he demands that she return it, a scene that's both horrifying and hilarious to those of us who are slightly perverse.
Since the movie's debut in 1991, the phrase has taken on a life of its own and is now synonymous with "Do what I say," "You're screwed," and "Look, there's a psycho killer over there."
"Originally, I was going to write a whole song based on that movie, with that line as the chorus refrain," says Emily Mills, the band's singer, drummer and lyricist (and Isthmus contributor). Instead the song evolved to include lines from a variety of horror flicks, as well as Fargo, which she calls "a horror movie in its own way."
These creepy-yet-familiar words, layered over Justin Woodward's minor-key guitar work and the ominous rumble of Morey Burnard's bass guitar, make for a popular number at the band's live shows.
"'The Horror' has become one of the most-requested songs at our live shows, interestingly enough," says Mills. "It's a fun, rocking, silly piece -- even if it does shred my vocal cords every time I sing it."
Featured on the band's new self-titled album, the track was recorded in the basement studio of Shabelles bassist Andy Russell. Mills says that having access to this studio was invaluable because it allowed the band to record a live version of the song. "We felt like it would lose something as a produced piece," she says. "It was a little tricky because we usually just improvise our way through the song, but we were able to come up with some semblance of structure for the recording, and I rather like the end result."
An MP3 of the track is available in the related downloads at right. More songs by the group can by listened to on its MySpace page. Aporia will unveil its new album at a release party at The Frequency on Sunday, October 26, following opening performances by The Shabelles and Fermata. In keeping with the theme of "The Horror," fans are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes to the party. Aporia will award a free copy of their new album to the person with their favorite get-up.
MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.