A new ‘Down in the Hole’ blog series curating playlists of Tom Waits songs ordered by theme and then preference of either co-host. Today, Sam picks 10 of Waits’ most inexplicable tracks.

Chick A Boom – ‘Real Gone’ (2004)

As one of Waits’ more demented and off-kilter rural wanderings, inclusion of any track from Real Gone is perhaps no shock. Yet the closing song ‘Chick A Boom’ takes the unexpected to the next level as Tom breaks new musical ground once again, this time by beatboxing. The moment exists solely for its own absurdity, a pure bolt from the blue experiment, hilariously baffling in its own jagged right.

Knife Chase – ‘Blood Money’ (2002)

The juggernaut rhythm of this song constantly breathes down the listener’s neck. Relentlessly stalking, the unhinged middle-eight is especially evocative and unsettling. Not one for walking home alone. Fun fact: Elbow frontman/Tom Waits fan tweeted about the song in 2011:

'knife chase' by tom waits on headphones makes the world hilarious and creepy. Try it. — Guy Garvey (@Guy_Garvey) May 28, 2011

Eyeball Kid – ‘Mule Variations’ (1999)

Tolling off with a bell full of foreboding, the hollow wooden rhythm that continues throughout creates an atmosphere as unwelcoming as that in which the titular cyclops survives. Tom’s forever surreal approach unwinds further still in this tale of a literal eyeball that makes the rounds on a dark freak-show circuit.

Reeperbahn – ‘Alice’ (2002)

Having crafted countless unpleasant environments before, Germany’s Reeperbahn is the first truly haunting place that Tom has dragged us to. The version included here is a rare demo that originally leaked before the release of ‘Alice’. With a creaky wail throughout, the delightfully sordid subject matter is a perfect fit for the sinister backdrop.

Oily Night – ‘The Black Rider’ (1993)

‘Oily Night’ is a creepy low burner with an unsettling monotony that literally surrounds the listener as it rumbles past. Calls of panicked trumpets and rattling bones show that Tom isn’t afraid to assault your senses; with the multiple jarring layers of the songs building and building until a cacophony of madness reigns. Fun fact: this actually begins with the same looping riff that accompanies the equally menacing ‘Army Ants’ from Orphans (Bastards).

Dog Door – ‘Orphans’ (Bastards) (2006)

Tom’s shrieks a megaphone warble against an absolute dirge of a main composition that is peculiar even by late Waitsian standards. With lyrics that are as evocative as they are confusing, ‘Dog Door’ is heavy, industrial slog amidst a hellish murk. Chants of murderous instruments feature throughout:

Pitchfork (pitchfork)

Crowbar (crowbar)

Clawhammer (clawhammer)

Hot tar (hot tar)

Earth Died Screaming – ‘Bone Machine’ (1992)

Kicking off ‘Bone Machine’ with a sickening thud, this song unnerves through the skeletal percussion. Much use is made of biblical imagery and end times with Tom here acting as bombastic prophet, howling wildly of the world’s imminent doom.

What’s He Building In There? – ‘Mule Variations’ (1999)

Possibly Tom’s most widely known and accessible foray into the weird, ‘What’s He Building In There’ conjures both the looming fear of the unknown as well as an anxiety toward the kooky loners that inhabit it. It lures the listener in with the childish myths that surround such enigmatic figures in the community, and unlike more optimistic tracks like “In the Neighbourhood”, Waits allows himself to indulge throughout in the true horror of suburban paranoia.

Dave The Butcher – swordfishtrombones (1983)

Sounding like a soundtrack to an expressionistic horror, the squealing organ of ‘Dave The Butcher’ conveys a sense of jeopardy that few pieces of music can. As one of the first tracks on Waits’ rebirth album ‘swordfishtrombones’, ‘Dave The Butcher’ can in many ways be seen as a flashing of new feathers, an affront to all Waits once was.

Spidey’s Wild Ride – ‘Orphans’ (Bastards) (2006)

Yeah, I know, another song off Orphans (Bastards), but it’s such a bumper crop of left-turn material, even for the mercurial Waits! ‘Redrum’ anyone? ‘What Keeps Mankind Alive?’. Regardless, ‘Spidey’s Wild Ride’ delivers exactly what it promises, and is the only song on this list that garnered a vocal “What the fuck?”. It’s another insane wheezing beatbox taken to the next warped level, an assault on all tastes in music and features Tom hooting and gibbering nonsensically like a real madman.

‘Down in the Hole’ is a fortnightly Tom Waits podcast exploring the entire ouevre of the American singer songwriter, album by album. It is hosted by Sam Whiles (@sidwidle1) and Tom Kwei (@tomkweipoet):

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