krzysztof penderecki - threnody to the victims of hiroshima (1960)

While Mr. Destroy The Scene came up with some pretty exceptional contenders for "most terrifying song ever" the other day, for my money nothing comes even close to this piece by Hungarian composer Krzysztof Penderecki.  The ungodly wailing and shrieking of strings, the quiet passages of plucked violins that hint at the horror slowly revealing itself.... to me, this is the aural equivalent of losing your mind to complete terror.  The first time I heard this song I thought I might actually have a panic attack.  If it sounds familiar at all to you, it may be because the score for The Shining uses quite a bit of this piece (and the film is undoubtedly better because of it).  If you can, try and listen to all ten minutes of this, and if you like this, many of Penderecki's other works are just as good.

the speakers - en el maravilloso mundo de ingeson (1968)

released in 1968, this album by Colombian rock band The Speakers is psychedelic in the truest sense of the word- not only does it feature bizarre sounds, spoken words, a wide variety of instrumentation, and strange compositions, but the original pressing actually included a psychedelic mushroom glued to the gatefold (according to the last.fm review, anyway). its a very playful and funny record- humor was obvious a big part of what they were going for- and it sounds like some of the less serious 60's psych-prog bands like Gong. there's also a lot of baroque-pop in the sound, along the lines of the Kinks, and a lot of british-style folk music. its a very varied record, but it all works, and its a pretty entertaining listen.

The Speakers - Si La Guerra es un Buen Negocio, Invierte a Sus Hijos
The Speakers - Niños