Mother – Courtney Love

I haven’t seem The Turning. The movie that this song comes from. I know the source material though. The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James is one of those cool books that good schools leave off the curriculum yet available in the library in abundance. This is for kids to discover by word of mouth in their down time. For me it was there to be recommended by the sort of teacher you look back on in adult life and think, “Thanks Miss Long”.

It seems fitting for this time of year then. To spin a yarn embellished with the sepia-tone aesthetic of Victoriana and tragic loss. Courtney Love is a prime candidate for soundtracking such a tale. To hear the OST also features Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Cherry Glazerr, Alison Mosshart and Soccer Mommy is mightily encouraging indeed. That the film is directed by the woman who gave the world The Runaways biopic too has got my attention in a big way. Floria Sigismondi is also pretty famous for some of Marilyn Manson’s most famous videos. So y’know. This is going to be bloody fabulous. Something to look forward to in the cold months after the winter solstice but before the first growth of the spring can be seen.

The track in question. It’s a haunting piano mourn of a song that showcases Love’s lived in luxurious voice. She sounds like an aged Bourbon with a drop of honey served over ice in a cut glass tumbler while sat on a Chesterfield sofa in a library listening to ghost stories being told. I’d go so far as to say Courtney Love is one of the most underrated talents of the age. People still can’t see past her past an assess her work in it’s own right. She’s a mighty artist when she’s good. This is pretty great.

She’s recognised by those who share the blue flame. The special spark of not just talent but a unique gift. Courtney Love has recorded a real corker here. If the film is half as good as this track there’s a whole new generation about to be swept away by a Christmas Ghost story that plays with the idea of the worst haunting being the type that could be taking place entirely within the inside our own minds.

And what is the festive season for if not a good scare?

Thanks Miss Long. Thanks Miss Love.

Happy New Year!