SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: ALEX SOUTHEY – NOISE FOR THE BLACK PAINTINGS OF QUINTA DEL SORDO: PART I

ALEX SOUTHEY – NOISE FOR THE BLACK PAINTINGS OF QUINTA DEL SORDO: PART I

A SPILL EXCLUSIVE ALBUM PREMIERE

This is the first part (EP) of three expected parts. Each track is a field recording/musical experiment/piece inspired by different “Black Paintings” by Spanish artist Francisco Goya.

This is mostly an instrumental project, meant for me to break free of my own self imposed genre constraints, and, frankly, to jam a little on ye olde geetar. I look at these like little scenes, some of which are like instrumental score pieces, some of which are instrumentals over which a solo can sit comfortably, and lastly, a bit of field recording stuff. With that said, there is one more traditional “song” on here with vocals. It’s the the aforementioned “El Aquelarre / Witches’ Sabbath”.

Couldn’t help myself.

The guitar playing and in some cases overall general vibe of my approach to the guitar is inspired by the playing of Nels Cline, recent Mac DeMarco, Josh Homme’s QOTSA stuff, Feist’s playing on Multitudes, David Gilmour’s playing on On An Island, Nick Cave’s The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford score, and the work of the New Symphony Orchestra on their 2026 release.

The artwork used on the cover of Noise For The Black Paintings Of Quinta Del Sordo: Part I is called Witches’ Flight. It is of course also by Goya; however, it is not one of his Black Paintings (not certainly). It was painted years earlier, but with hindsight serves as an introduction to the Black Paintings’ themes and ideas. It serves the same purpose here. It’s not part of the album in that it does not get its own music, but it is responsible for the listener’s first impression.

It depicts witches carrying away (and perhaps feasting upon) a man in mid-air, as another, aware of the danger above, throws a shawl over his head and eyes to prevent himself from seeing the waking nightmare, and attempts to move forward. He holds something in his right hand to help ward them off. A third man cowers on the ground, resigned to it all, or perhaps already mad. A donkey looks dumbly ahead on the right. Good luck, bros.

“Quinta del sordo” translates to “Villa of the deaf one”. By the time Goya painted these pieces, he was deaf. So… in a bit of darkly humorous way… it’s a bit ironic there are now music pieces devoted to the paintings. If big dog came back, he’d be like “But I can’t even hear it.” Here we are.

Alex Southey
Noise For The Black Paintings Of Quinta Del Sordo: Part 1 
(Independent/Oh Marlene)
Release Date: October 30, 2026

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