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Lovecraft, H. P. : Pickman's Model

"Pickman's Model" is one of my favorite Lovecraft stories. It was the first Lovecraft story I tackled in a professional setting and is one that I also love to teach to students when I have the chance. Some readers don't like this story as much as "The Call of Cthulhu" or other, similar, tales. I've also heard people complain that "Pickman's Model" is too predictable, a claim that misses the point of the story. Sure, "Pickman's Model" foreshadows where things are headed but the idea behind the story is the slowly building sense of dread the story creates; the final reveal should add to the shock and confirm the sense that the universe as we know it (or think we know it) is subject to grave and terrible alteration. "Pickman's Model" beautifully captures the shock of a man coming to grips with a new understanding of how things work.

"Pickman's Model" is also a memorable story because it highlights Lovecraft's love for weird art. The story has a host of references to some of the author's favorite artists and it also introduces us to a fictional master of weird art, Richard Upton Pickman, whose work just screams out extreme metal album covers. I won't reveal what happens to Pickman here; suffice it to say that this recording gives listeners a chilling and entertaining performance of that tale that captures the atmosphere, the growing sense of dread, and the awful revelation at the story's conclusion.

"Pickman's Model" is the latest of Cadabra Records's offerings of spoken word albums like this one; most of them highlight work by H. P. Lovecraft, a master of the weird tale and a major influence on certain aspects of extreme music. All of the recordings released so far have been terrific and they are only getting better, especially now that they've brought the band Theologian on board to create chilling ambient soundtracks to back up Lovecraft's tales. The music is don't tastefully in that it sets the right mood without ever overwhelming the power of the story. The readings, performed here by Andrew Leman, capture the nervous horror of the narrator beautifully. Leman has a good voice for this project and he really captures the spirit and the mood of the story gracefully. For me, the best thing is hearing the language. Lovecraft has a sometimes difficult style but hearing it read out loud by a good actor brings it to life in new and interesting ways. Each of these Cadabra releases also includes awesome packaging with cool art inspired by the author and the tale.

Track Listing:
1. Pickman's Model Side A
2. Pickman's Model Side B

Added: November 15th 2016
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Record Label Website
Hits: 1635
Language: english

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