B-Side Guys

When traditional English folk melodies collide with waves of effects-laden guitars, the result isn’t always coherent. Yet Count The Clock’s “Here Comes The End” finds unexpected harmony in this collision, creating something both ancient and decidedly modern.

Multi-instrumentalist Michael Coe and filmmaker Zach Lorkiewicz’s mixed-media project draws from an unusually broad palette. Their fascination with horror films, vintage technology, and space exploration bleeds into the track’s atmosphere, but never overshadows its folk foundations. The production maintains a delicate balance between The Byrds’ melodic clarity and My Bloody Valentine’s textural experimentation.

Singer Leannie’s triple-tracked harmonies float through the mix like spectral visitors, her layered vocals adding depth without sacrificing intelligibility. The recurring imagery of hallways and rainbows in the lyrics takes on additional weight through this treatment, each repetition adding new shades of meaning rather than simply marking time.

The Radio Dept.’s influence appears in the track’s hypnotic rhythmic foundation, but Count The Clock pushes beyond mere homage. The beat provides an anchor point while guitars and vocals spiral outward, creating a sense of constant motion that never loses its way. It’s a neat trick – maintaining forward momentum while seeming to hover in place.

As a collaboration between a musician and filmmaker, “Here Comes The End” feels distinctly cinematic without relying on obvious soundtrack tropes. The arrangement creates space for visual imagination, suggesting scenes rather than dictating them. This approach makes sense given the project’s broader mixed-media ambitions.

For a project drawing inspiration from “strange and beautiful oddities,” Count The Clock has created something remarkably cohesive. “Here Comes The End” proves that seemingly disparate elements – folk traditions, shoegaze textures, and horror film aesthetics – can coexist in ways that enhance rather than diminish each other.