The "S" Word

[Click image above for gallery view]

This very geeky book about the covert strand of spirituality in alternative music is now ready for ordering.

Under half of it is comprised of articles once posted here but no longer available online: Eastern Philosophy and The Cosmic Sound, Psychic Pop Relics (which has been extensively rewritten), Dub, His Tender Heart (on Neil Young), and Hip Priest (on Mark E. Smith). I've added my article on Chris Blackwell too because it works well here.

Over half of the book is made up of totally new material. There's a literally massive 18,000 word piece on what is called New Age, but really covers a whole range of New Age, Ambient, Minimalist, Avant-garde, Drone and Eastern musics. This is built around a survey of 50 albums. Unmissable! A book in in itself really. Then there's a piece on Prince in the same vein as my viral-hit on The Fall. There's a chapter on Roedelius (of Cluster and Harmonia fame) which includes an interview with the great man himself. Finally, there's a thing on my Tibetan LPs. By the time you've finished it you will be a new person or your money back (Terms and conditions apply).

I've got five amazing endorsements from the big people:

“Intensely researched, latticed with surprising connections and correspondences, these essays expand and deepen our awareness of the links between music and the numinous. The S-Word is an illuminating book about illumination.”

Simon Reynolds,

author of Energy Flash and Rip It Up and Start Again

“You'd nearly mistake it for an uncomfortable topic instead of an invisible one, but Matthew's book confronts it head on:  even in the hands of secular musicians who strip their practice down to pure aesthetics, what we're responding to in so much of all of this new music is devotional.  Or it could be, if you're interested in listening.”

Jon Leidecker,

Wobbly

“Discussing the spiritual connections and interpretations of music can be something daunting for both readers and writers — where does one stop and one end? The collection of pieces that make up ‘The ‘S’ Word’ show that Matthew Ingram can balance his own particular perspective and experiences with wider considerations of what the spiritual can mean, casting new, unexpected light on deeper areas and suggesting paths of further exploration for the curious.”  

Ned Raggett,

AllMusic 

"...an amazing book..."

Erik Davis,

author of Techgnosis and High Weirdness

"What an amazing overview. You covered it all! I will definitely reccomend to everyone."

Ramón Sender,

co-founder of the San Francisco Tape Music Center

 It is available as an eBook globally here and is for sale as a paperback book in the UK only too. The price reflects the fact that it is 260 pages long and has cover-to-cover colour photography so is reasonably costly to print.

It's one copy only each. Send one of the following to my Paypal account: alias@hollowearth.org

Standard Delivery: (£25 + £3.35) = £28.35
Recorded Delivery: (£25 + £4.45) = £29.45

Copies will be signed. And include your address!

SMALL NUMBER OF COPIES NOW AVAILABLE (10.1.23) SOLD OUT. Reprint coming Autumn 2025.

TLDR:

- music geeks only
- ebook available globally. [NB You don't need a Kindle only the free app]
- Paperback only available in the UK.
- One copy per person.
- Costly to produce.
- Delivery will not be instantaneous be quite quick.