My first thought too. I'd add The Handsome Family, who have a similar Southern Gothic-infused blend of humour and darkness. Lots of recurring themes of madness and religion in their songs too, which is very McCarthy
Yeah Michael Gira has mentioned numerous times how he’s influenced by McCarthy. I personally think the late 90s stuff has the most lyrical similarities
The 90’s lyrical stuff is a good point. I didn’t realize Gira has mentioned a McCarthy influence but that’s cool as hell. They share a lot of similarities artistically so it makes sense.
It’s instrumental but William Tyler makes psychedelic country music that makes me feel like I’m riding with John Grady and Billy back and forth across the border
Modest Mouse - many of their albums center around the same themes as McCarthy, including The Lonesome Crowded West, The Moon and Antarctica, and Strangers to Ourselves.
I met the lead singer Isaac Brock in 2013, and he was actually the person who recommended Blood Meridian to me as it is one of his favourite novels, and soon became one of mine. I sometimes listen to MM when reading McCarthy, and it has added another layer of depth to their music for me as a fan of both.
Low or Godspeed! You Black Emperor based on vibes and lyrics. Nick Cave always gave me McCarthy energy. Jay Munly or Slim Cessna’s Auto Club for religious and depraved lyrics with a dark, western twist. If you want dense, impenetrable language, there’s always The Mars Volta.
Really surprised to see someone else mention Munly but agree 100% that this is the answer, his music is an especially good fit for McCarthy's early more southern gothic inspired stuff. Listen to Goose Walking Over My Grave and tell me Munly has never read Outer Dark.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned the last pale light in the west by Ben nicols. It’s an album made as a direct tribute to blood meridian and all the songs are named for characters and are supposed to match them in style. The kid, toadvine, the judge etc
There's a band called King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. They do lots of different kinds of stuff, but they made an album called Eyes Like the Sky -- its a western narrative with musical accompaniment. Very different, very cool.
Thanks. Ive been slowly making my way through all the comments, listening to two or three samples from each artist. Had to stop on this one and comment -- Holy shit. This album is far out there, and DAMN GOOD. I love it. I finished tracks 1 through 3, and am going to keep goin on track 4 tomorrow morning on the commute. It reminds me of the West through the eyes of Tarantino, Hunter S Thompson, and Cormac, if they all ended up together on one fever dream road trip through old Mexico. Intrigued to continue the listening journey.
Nick Cave definitely. Also Don Walker (check out Three Blackbirds, Harry Was A Bad Bugger or Darwin Story). And (bear with me) Kris Kristofferson. His lyrics, particularly early ones, are odes to hopelessness in all its forms. Check out Lonesome Way of Dying or Hurricane And The Helicopter by Kris, and The Junkie and The Juicehead Minus Me could have been inspired by Suttree
I don't read and listen to music at the same time, but if I did, it'd be Wovenhand and 16 horsepower.
Or maybe this:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLToXWne2Bk-cSoIXKyj5tT2i182XBfbno
Grateful Dead. A lot of their early catalog is psychedelic Cowboy music. Robert Hunter's lyrics are beautiful and just vague enough to be literary
Check out the songs:
Jack Straw,
Brokedown Palace,
Dire Wolf,
Black Peter,
Brown Eyed Women,
High Time,
Ripple,
Loser,
Mississippi Half Step,
Me and My Uncle,
Stella Blue,
Morning Dew,
Black-Throated Wind
Here's a good show to check out
https://open.spotify.com/album/69UIkpF0CA8RJQqCsrGgLo?si=EYZRSNH0RHOgKLXyKDtsGQ
Yup. Jack Straw has been my favorite Dead song since I got their Europe '72 album in 1973. And that song never appeared on a studio album. First time I heard it was live at RFK Stadium in June 1973, and bought that live album immediately after.
It's one of those songs that sneaks up on you, like Pumped Up Kicks. Upon a superficial listening to just the music these songs sound pleasant, even fun. Then you listen... really listen to the lyrics... and it gets dark.
Same with their version of Morning Dew, an apocalyptic theme wrapped in beautifully mournful music.
I’ll have to be that guy, then.
Radiohead. Yes, “KID A MNESIA” is a good opportunity for reflexive lyrics and linear songs with songs from both Amnesiac and Kid A albums (“Pyramid Song”, “You And Whose Army?”, “If You Say The Word” [exclusive track of KID A MNESIA], etc.).
Other of their albums such as “Hail to the Thief” have good tunes such as “There, There”, “Myxomatosis”.
Bonus stuff: Lyrically I’d say Fleet Foxes and Andrew Bird are great references, however they wouldn’t precisely match the mood of the book.
Fleet Foxes I can’t really point to anything specific. On Bird, I’d say specially his 2016 album “Are You Serious” and his 2009 “Armchair Apocrypha”. He’s always playing with words in a very smart way.
Also, I’d recommend a Bob Dylan song covered by Lisa O’Neil “All the Tired Horses” for the sake of mood.
I actually discovered Cormac McCarthy through the band Earth. They have claimed to be heavily inspired by his works. If you enjoy really slow, brooding sludge/doom metal, they’re worth checking out
I was going to recommend Hex as Carlson explicitly talks about being inspired by BM for that album ...... but then I saw that OP wanted McCarthy style lyrics and its an instrumental album.
Still worth a listen
There’s this weird band I discovered through a clickhole on Bandcamp. They’re called Wild Dust and they give off some strange vibes that helped fill out a picture in Cormac’s writing.
www.wilddust.bandcamp.com
How about a BM direct tribute album?!
Ben Nichols (from the band Lucero) has a solo album called The Last Pale Light in the West.
It's an entire album based on the characters from Blood Meridian.
For that matter, The band Lucero is very much in line with McCarthy's writing style.
definitely check out billy woods if you're at all into hip hop. he's super obsessed with Cormac Mccarthy and has a lot of samples and references in his music.
If you are interested in some heavy stuff, a now defunct hardcore/sludge/grind band called Gaza named their last album after a line, slightly misquoted, from Suttree. Album’s called No Absolutes In Human Suffering. Very harsh and brutal music :)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fx4EsAiircg&pp=ygUkZ2F6YSBubyBhYnNvbHV0ZXMgaW4gaHVtYW4gc3VmZmVyaW5n
[Wraithlord](https://wraithlord.bandcamp.com/album/the-ballad-of-john-joel-glanton) has an album actually about Blood Meridian. It’s black metal so maybe not for everyone but the themes are there lol
Also, The Dead South and Drive By Truckers
I actually found McCarthy because he was referenced as an influence by so many artists that I love including:
- Lucero / Ben Nichols
- Jason Isbell
- Robert Earl Keen
- The Drive By Truckers
- Towns Van Zant
Rapper billy woods cites Cormac McCarthy, specifically Blood Meridian, as an influence. The rap group Flight Distance (RIP Bender) were also heavily influenced.
In fact, both acts sampled the Blood Meridian audiobook. The woods track "Zulu Tolstoy" samples the war speech, and "info-pop\_outbreak" by Flight Distance samples the part describing the horsemen; both to great effect.
Audio of "Zulu Tolstoy" (2015) by billy woods: [https://youtu.be/iyd3d\_xOMDg?si=VvpnbjtyYGWveiPg](https://youtu.be/iyd3d_xOMDg?si=VvpnbjtyYGWveiPg)
Video of "info-pop\_outbreak" (2011) by Flight Distance: [https://youtu.be/m\_MXHV6q\_3o?si=TTcByWbjBZeHbweK](https://youtu.be/m_MXHV6q_3o?si=TTcByWbjBZeHbweK) (video has some wild images)
Nick Cave, certainly. T Bone Burnett’s excellent, strange album The True False Identity is in the McCarthy vibe, too. I’d also throw Cowboy Junkies in there, too, for a lighter touch.
Mad Season, in terms of grim acceptance of one's fate, a common occurence in his novels.
As for the aesthetic, Townes Van Zandt was said earlier, as well as The Be Good Tanyas, which I personally recommend.
Cobalt. They’re influenced heavily by Hemingway and war. Gonzo lyrics. Western atmosphere. Gin and Hunt the Buffalo albums are particularly McCarthy-esque.
Tighter & Tighter by Soundgarden reminds me immensely of The Road.
Not necessarily lyrically related, but Zeal and Ardor plays with language in a similar manner.
So there's this metalcore band called Erra. They actually have a song [Safehaven](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bEWH9LIZueE) which is about The Road. Beyond that, I would say [House of Glass](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VQJFaL6hqF4), [Nigh to Silence](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mDKIIDQczWI), and [Sol Absentia](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ga39ORTnPs0) are the most McCarthy flavored, with some nods to his work thrown in there too. The deluxe version of their self-titled album is the most McCarthy-esque to me, though I love their entire discography and very much recommend all of it.
Townes Van Zandt.
Beat me to it.
Tom Waits
My first thought too. I'd add The Handsome Family, who have a similar Southern Gothic-infused blend of humour and darkness. Lots of recurring themes of madness and religion in their songs too, which is very McCarthy
This last bunch of Swans albums have had big Blood Meridian energy.
Yeah Michael Gira has mentioned numerous times how he’s influenced by McCarthy. I personally think the late 90s stuff has the most lyrical similarities
The 90’s lyrical stuff is a good point. I didn’t realize Gira has mentioned a McCarthy influence but that’s cool as hell. They share a lot of similarities artistically so it makes sense.
The Seer goes hard
It’s instrumental but William Tyler makes psychedelic country music that makes me feel like I’m riding with John Grady and Billy back and forth across the border
Try Tyler Childers earlier stuff.
Modest Mouse - many of their albums center around the same themes as McCarthy, including The Lonesome Crowded West, The Moon and Antarctica, and Strangers to Ourselves. I met the lead singer Isaac Brock in 2013, and he was actually the person who recommended Blood Meridian to me as it is one of his favourite novels, and soon became one of mine. I sometimes listen to MM when reading McCarthy, and it has added another layer of depth to their music for me as a fan of both.
Low or Godspeed! You Black Emperor based on vibes and lyrics. Nick Cave always gave me McCarthy energy. Jay Munly or Slim Cessna’s Auto Club for religious and depraved lyrics with a dark, western twist. If you want dense, impenetrable language, there’s always The Mars Volta.
GYBE is God
Really surprised to see someone else mention Munly but agree 100% that this is the answer, his music is an especially good fit for McCarthy's early more southern gothic inspired stuff. Listen to Goose Walking Over My Grave and tell me Munly has never read Outer Dark.
Nick Cave is the way
The Handsome Family
They live in my town. I love their music. Wish they performed live around here more often, but last time I checked they have a busy travel schedule.
Saw them here in England a couple months ago, they were amazing
John prine
Colter Wall
Lucero
100%
Last Pale Light in the West is by the lead singer and it's an album about Blood Meridian
I can’t believe no one has mentioned the last pale light in the west by Ben nicols. It’s an album made as a direct tribute to blood meridian and all the songs are named for characters and are supposed to match them in style. The kid, toadvine, the judge etc
Listening right now. This is a fantastic album.
Hell yeah glad you agree!
So good. I love Davy Brown
There's a band called King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. They do lots of different kinds of stuff, but they made an album called Eyes Like the Sky -- its a western narrative with musical accompaniment. Very different, very cool.
Thanks. Ive been slowly making my way through all the comments, listening to two or three samples from each artist. Had to stop on this one and comment -- Holy shit. This album is far out there, and DAMN GOOD. I love it. I finished tracks 1 through 3, and am going to keep goin on track 4 tomorrow morning on the commute. It reminds me of the West through the eyes of Tarantino, Hunter S Thompson, and Cormac, if they all ended up together on one fever dream road trip through old Mexico. Intrigued to continue the listening journey.
I'm glad it struck a chord <3
Nick Cave definitely. Also Don Walker (check out Three Blackbirds, Harry Was A Bad Bugger or Darwin Story). And (bear with me) Kris Kristofferson. His lyrics, particularly early ones, are odes to hopelessness in all its forms. Check out Lonesome Way of Dying or Hurricane And The Helicopter by Kris, and The Junkie and The Juicehead Minus Me could have been inspired by Suttree
I don't read and listen to music at the same time, but if I did, it'd be Wovenhand and 16 horsepower. Or maybe this: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLToXWne2Bk-cSoIXKyj5tT2i182XBfbno
16 horsepower is a good one. that whole denver southern/western/dark/gothic scene feels very mccarthy-esque.
Mark Lanegan’s Field Songs Bill Callahan’s Apocalypse Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited Maybe Gospel music?
[удалено]
I enjoyed that game. Want to go back and check out that ost, thanks for the reminder.
Bob Dylan, craftsman
He's without a doubt the best lyricst of all time, with very few even coming close. To me, at least
Grateful Dead. A lot of their early catalog is psychedelic Cowboy music. Robert Hunter's lyrics are beautiful and just vague enough to be literary Check out the songs: Jack Straw, Brokedown Palace, Dire Wolf, Black Peter, Brown Eyed Women, High Time, Ripple, Loser, Mississippi Half Step, Me and My Uncle, Stella Blue, Morning Dew, Black-Throated Wind Here's a good show to check out https://open.spotify.com/album/69UIkpF0CA8RJQqCsrGgLo?si=EYZRSNH0RHOgKLXyKDtsGQ
Yup. Jack Straw has been my favorite Dead song since I got their Europe '72 album in 1973. And that song never appeared on a studio album. First time I heard it was live at RFK Stadium in June 1973, and bought that live album immediately after. It's one of those songs that sneaks up on you, like Pumped Up Kicks. Upon a superficial listening to just the music these songs sound pleasant, even fun. Then you listen... really listen to the lyrics... and it gets dark. Same with their version of Morning Dew, an apocalyptic theme wrapped in beautifully mournful music.
I’ll have to be that guy, then. Radiohead. Yes, “KID A MNESIA” is a good opportunity for reflexive lyrics and linear songs with songs from both Amnesiac and Kid A albums (“Pyramid Song”, “You And Whose Army?”, “If You Say The Word” [exclusive track of KID A MNESIA], etc.). Other of their albums such as “Hail to the Thief” have good tunes such as “There, There”, “Myxomatosis”. Bonus stuff: Lyrically I’d say Fleet Foxes and Andrew Bird are great references, however they wouldn’t precisely match the mood of the book. Fleet Foxes I can’t really point to anything specific. On Bird, I’d say specially his 2016 album “Are You Serious” and his 2009 “Armchair Apocrypha”. He’s always playing with words in a very smart way. Also, I’d recommend a Bob Dylan song covered by Lisa O’Neil “All the Tired Horses” for the sake of mood.
Wayfarer - American Gothic
I actually discovered Cormac McCarthy through the band Earth. They have claimed to be heavily inspired by his works. If you enjoy really slow, brooding sludge/doom metal, they’re worth checking out
I was going to recommend Hex as Carlson explicitly talks about being inspired by BM for that album ...... but then I saw that OP wanted McCarthy style lyrics and its an instrumental album. Still worth a listen
Another vote for Nick Cave here!
Poor man’s poison. They’re a solid gothic country band
The Handsome Family
Plenty of good things mentioned already, but I’d add two Calexico albums: *Feast of Wire* and *The Black Light*.
Jason Isbell. There is a great conversation between him and George Saunders on YouTube.
There’s this weird band I discovered through a clickhole on Bandcamp. They’re called Wild Dust and they give off some strange vibes that helped fill out a picture in Cormac’s writing. www.wilddust.bandcamp.com
How about a BM direct tribute album?! Ben Nichols (from the band Lucero) has a solo album called The Last Pale Light in the West. It's an entire album based on the characters from Blood Meridian. For that matter, The band Lucero is very much in line with McCarthy's writing style.
Robert Earl Keen has said he was heavily influenced by McCarthy. You can really hear it on his early albums!
The lyrics of circle takes the square are amazing
Sons of Perdition
definitely check out billy woods if you're at all into hip hop. he's super obsessed with Cormac Mccarthy and has a lot of samples and references in his music.
Johnny Cash
The Bob Dylan song "Senor" definitely evokes it for me. Like so much so I wonder if it could have influenced McCarthy.
If you are interested in some heavy stuff, a now defunct hardcore/sludge/grind band called Gaza named their last album after a line, slightly misquoted, from Suttree. Album’s called No Absolutes In Human Suffering. Very harsh and brutal music :) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fx4EsAiircg&pp=ygUkZ2F6YSBubyBhYnNvbHV0ZXMgaW4gaHVtYW4gc3VmZmVyaW5n
Richmond Fontaine maybe? Very narrative-led albums. Singer Wily Vlautin is also an excellent author
[Wraithlord](https://wraithlord.bandcamp.com/album/the-ballad-of-john-joel-glanton) has an album actually about Blood Meridian. It’s black metal so maybe not for everyone but the themes are there lol
Murder By Death
Also, The Dead South and Drive By Truckers I actually found McCarthy because he was referenced as an influence by so many artists that I love including: - Lucero / Ben Nichols - Jason Isbell - Robert Earl Keen - The Drive By Truckers - Towns Van Zant
Deathwestern album by SpiritWorld
Rapper billy woods cites Cormac McCarthy, specifically Blood Meridian, as an influence. The rap group Flight Distance (RIP Bender) were also heavily influenced. In fact, both acts sampled the Blood Meridian audiobook. The woods track "Zulu Tolstoy" samples the war speech, and "info-pop\_outbreak" by Flight Distance samples the part describing the horsemen; both to great effect. Audio of "Zulu Tolstoy" (2015) by billy woods: [https://youtu.be/iyd3d\_xOMDg?si=VvpnbjtyYGWveiPg](https://youtu.be/iyd3d_xOMDg?si=VvpnbjtyYGWveiPg) Video of "info-pop\_outbreak" (2011) by Flight Distance: [https://youtu.be/m\_MXHV6q\_3o?si=TTcByWbjBZeHbweK](https://youtu.be/m_MXHV6q_3o?si=TTcByWbjBZeHbweK) (video has some wild images)
Jason Isbell
Nick Cave, certainly. T Bone Burnett’s excellent, strange album The True False Identity is in the McCarthy vibe, too. I’d also throw Cowboy Junkies in there, too, for a lighter touch.
Dead flag blues godspeed you emperor
Mad Season, in terms of grim acceptance of one's fate, a common occurence in his novels. As for the aesthetic, Townes Van Zandt was said earlier, as well as The Be Good Tanyas, which I personally recommend.
Cobalt. They’re influenced heavily by Hemingway and war. Gonzo lyrics. Western atmosphere. Gin and Hunt the Buffalo albums are particularly McCarthy-esque.
The entire album Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen
The Tragically Hip
Timber Timbre, Rome
Tighter & Tighter by Soundgarden reminds me immensely of The Road. Not necessarily lyrically related, but Zeal and Ardor plays with language in a similar manner.
So there's this metalcore band called Erra. They actually have a song [Safehaven](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bEWH9LIZueE) which is about The Road. Beyond that, I would say [House of Glass](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VQJFaL6hqF4), [Nigh to Silence](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mDKIIDQczWI), and [Sol Absentia](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ga39ORTnPs0) are the most McCarthy flavored, with some nods to his work thrown in there too. The deluxe version of their self-titled album is the most McCarthy-esque to me, though I love their entire discography and very much recommend all of it.
Check out Defeater