The Somnambulist Labyrinth was a band from Southern Missouri in the mid-90s that released only three 7" singles and a total of 21 minutes of music. Not much is known about them except that they had a guitarist (Reymand), a bassist (Stiv), and sometimes what sounds like a cheap drum machine (Kyaisle). No one much noticed them in their lifetime-- the band was only in existence for a year-- but their records influenced a number of artists who have gone on to stardom, like Ween, Deerhunter, Carl Barat of the Libertines, and Wolf Parade. It is reported that Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead considers them among his favorite bands-- he has even been known to play "Cardboard Hospital" during Radiohead's pre-show soundchecks.

So what do the Somnambulist Labyrinth sound like? Their music can best be described as "difficult to describe." It veers from catchy to alienating, and spastic to quietly ominous. Lyrically, the band takes on a number of topics, from social commentary to borderline science fiction, usually with a barrage of vivid but violent imagery. Shortly after the release of their final recording, the group was traveling to a gig in West Memphis, Tennessee, when their tour van burst into flames on the highway, instantly turning their amps and equipment to cinder. The band managed to escape, but having no transportation or instruments, disbanded-- with each member reportedly walking in different directions into the wilderness. A few years ago, someone from the Seattle's Weekly "The Stranger" tried to track down the members and met with incredible resistance from everyone who might have been able to help. Eventually, when he got in touch with someone who was purported to be drummer Kyaisle-- he was living in a sleeping bag in a forest at the base of the Rockies in Montana-- he refused to acknowledge the band and reportedly threatened the reporter with a shotgun. Since then, not much else has come out about the Somnambulist Labyrinth-- but their legend continues to grow. If you have any additional information about the Somnambulist Labyrinth, please let us know.



Demo cassette, early 1996 [self-released]
Three Day Diet
The Mannequin Murder
Concentration Camp

Notes: Almost universally acknowledged as the weakest set of songs in the band's repertoire, it's clear that the band is in its primordial stages and haven't quite developed a sound of their own. "Three Day Diet," with its stop-start melody is definitely the highlight, but "Concentration Camp," a klezmer-style song complete with violins, isn't without its charms (it was even used in the soundtrack of an extremely low-budget horror flick called "The Blunt End is the Sharpest," about a killer shovel that terrorizes children in an abandoned farming community). "The Mannequin Murder" is an oddball production with off-key lyrics about a murder in which the victim was a human display model. This demo was apparently recorded in one of the band members' homes before being sent out to the ScratchMagik label. The fact that it impressed anyone at a record label in spite of the barking dogs and police sirens in the background speaks volumes about the quality of the music.


7" single, 8/18/1996 [ScratchMagik 003221]
Cardboard Hospital
What I'd Want to Do
Life in the Circus

Notes: The opening song, "Cardboard Hospital," begins with the dubious lines "Larry dropped by about 12 last night / Actually it was a quarter past nine." It is with this lyrical genius that the Somnambulist Labyrinth cements its place in music history. The pounding bass propels the song into its indelible chorus, where our protagonists drunkenly construct a corrugated paper health center. "What I'd Want to Do" consists of the daydreaming fantasies of a man who, in contemplating the good life, remarks that if he owned the world he would "have an ocean's swimming pool, a million miles in length / and make the fish who live there have to pay the rent." Um, okay. "Life in the Circus" is the most insular of an already insular set of songs. The narrator, apparently a trapeze artist, waxes philosophical about the romantic life of a traveling sideshow, including such things as falling to one's death in front of a crowd and dealing with a "satanic" ringleader-- all the while, a cheesy country bass riff hee-haws its way into your consciousness.


7" single, 12/13/1996 [ScratchMagik 003316]
Izzy's Comin' Home
Jacob's Mailbox
While You Sleep

Notes: Probably the best of the three singles, "Izzy' Comin' Home" details the post-fame career of G'N'R guitarist Izzy Stradlin. With its catchy melody and melancholy chorus, it tells the classic "riches to rags" tale of a man who rode the hair metal train to the top-- and then back down to the bottom. "Jacob's Mailbox" is a haunting tune about an abandoned house whose mail receptacle transports those who dare to open it into a torturous parallel universe. "While You Sleep" is an unusual ode to hostage-taking in which the narrator vividly describes "ripping out tongue[s]" while being backed by a bouncy bass beat and a hopelessly amateurish drum machine break.


7" single, 3/05/1997 [Welfare Check WC193]
The Welder
Flowers in the Road
Burn All the Thieves

Notes: Somnambulist Labyrinth took a hard turn toward metal and industrial music on their final release, which was released on green vinyl with a new label, Detroit's Welfare Check Records. "The Welder" is based on the guitarist's firsthand observations of an ominous neighborhood handyman who "welds into the wee hours of the morning" in his garage, while his young children are locked in their rooms for months at a time, starving and fearing his alcoholic rage. "Flowers in the Road" is a bitter anti-love song about a relationship gone bad, and features some of their best lyrics-- if you can understand them under the layers of distortion. "Burn All The Thieves" is barely intelligible through the thick haze of pot smoke and screaming, but features an impressive 10 second bellow that leads into a chorus that doesn't exist.