Spectreview: Running from the Dark – Running from the Dark [compilation]

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Since recorded history, mental suffering and the creative process have been inextricable. Some create art for catharsis from their demons, others to express what can’t be expressed in words, the looming presence of the abyss or the white-hot fire of mania. The fight for mental health awareness has ramped up in the last decade, and Running from the Dark,  a compilation of tracks donated by several underground artists and rallied by Chicago photographer Dakota Sillyman, aims to be a part of that fight. It’s a project that already validates itself ethically (all proceeds go to the Nation Alliance on Mental Health), but it also succeeds on its own artistic terms while acting as a showcase for many lesser-known acts willing to contribute for a good cause. While there’s a ton of individual winners here, the true wonder of the compilation is how each disparate song forms a united whole, anchored by atmosphere and mood. There’s a consistent focus on sadcore and indie folk, and many of these artists capture the all-encompassing weight of depression almost too well. Many tracks, like Field Medic’s sepia-washed, Jason Molina-esque “havefun4ever” or kitchen’s unidentifiably bleak “Grey and Mint” carry a demo-like roughness that enhances the raw honesty of the project. There are moments of simple beauty (Gia Margaret’s placid rest stop, “Beta”; Dousing’s pastoral, reverbed “Before Hibernation”) and moments of utter devastation (Blithe Field’s “Set Ya Free,” an outstanding melange of dissonant electronic textures and listless guitar; the crumbling vortex of Joni Void’s “Ever Fallen in Loop”). The most revelatory aspect of the project is how each song conveys a different shade of grey unique to its writers, representing how depression manifests in myriad ways across times and places but remains singular in its destructive effects. On the whole, its an excellent execution of a concept (down to its striking cover art) and absolutely worth a donation, if only to see some talented unknown artists banding together against the Great Dysfunction.

Recommended for late sleepless hours in bed.