Cycle I: The Record — Companion Tracks


Cycle I: Coming on Strong
The Hidden Voice
The Record · Tracks
THE HOUSE OF ZAN — Zan


The music collected here for The Record accompanies Cycle I: The Record, the first passage of Cycle I: Coming on Strong, in which The Hidden Voice is developed through a personal record of experience.

The playlist includes Companion Tracks for its 26 primary pieces and four Interference (RFI) pieces, together with the opening and closing arrangements for Starting The Cycle and Breaking The Cycle.

Each Companion Track was selected for the piece beside it. A track may reinforce what the voice is saying, push against it, bring something unstated forward, or hold onto something the piece leaves unresolved. Every choice comes from music I actually listen to and was made with the piece in mind. The tracks are an important part of the intended experience, but the pieces do not depend on them to be understood.

Much of the playlist comes from music that was part of my younger years: 1990s female-led alternative rock, indie, shoegaze, trip-hop, singer-songwriter music, and adjacent sounds. It is music I enjoyed then and still listen to now.

That female presence runs throughout the sequence, while the four Interference pieces deliberately interrupt it with heavier, louder music from the late 1990s and early 2000s. The change in sound is part of their function.

The music here belongs to a different generation and stylistic space from Cycle I: The Hidden Girl, even when the two playlists occasionally overlap.

The list can also be used independently as a playlist index, with links connecting each track to its corresponding piece. To follow Cycle I: The Record in reading order, start with the first piece and continue forward.


Cycle I: The Record — Starting The Cycle
Opening Arrangement: “Crystallize” — Lindsey Stirling
Listen on YouTube


1-1 · Starting Point (Hello)…
Companion Track: “Hello” — Poe
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1-2 · Onward and Upward (Connection)…
Companion Track: “Connection” — Elastica
Listen on YouTube

1-3 · Great Expectations (Cannonball)…
Companion Track: “Cannonball” — The Breeders
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1-4 · Sacrifice of Control (Fade Into You)…
Companion Track: “Fade Into You” — Mazzy Star
Listen on YouTube

1-5 · Learning Through Experience (Hand in My Pocket)…
Companion Track: “Hand in My Pocket” — Alanis Morissette
Listen on YouTube

1-6 · Objects in Space (Souvlaki Space Station)…
Companion Track: “Souvlaki Space Station” — Slowdive
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RFI One · I Want Your (Nookie)…
Companion Track: “Nookie” — Limp Bizkit
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1-7 · Your Submission: The Gift of Giving Yourself Away (Flower)…
Companion Track: “Flower” — Liz Phair
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1-8 · What/ever (Do You Think I’m a Whore?)…
Companion Track: “Do You Think I’m a Whore?” — Kittie
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1-9 · Reality of Fantasy (Numb)…
Companion Track: “Numb” — Holly McNarland
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1-10 · Broken Thing(s) (Violet)…
Companion Track: “Violet” — Hole
Listen on YouTube

1-11 · Getting Ahead (Spin Spin Sugar)…
Companion Track: “Spin Spin Sugar” — Sneaker Pimps
Listen on YouTube

1-12 · From Darkness (To Bring You My Love)…
Companion Track: “To Bring You My Love” — PJ Harvey
Listen on YouTube

RFI Two · I Want Your (Toxicity)…
Companion Track: “Toxicity” — System of a Down
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1-13 · For What It’s Worth (Candy Everybody Wants)…
Companion Track: “Candy Everybody Wants” — 10,000 Maniacs
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1-14 · Earthbound Backtrack (Alarm Call)…
Companion Track: “Alarm Call” — Björk
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1-15 · Saturn Return (New)…
Companion Track: “New” — No Doubt
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1-16 · Neptune Nowhere (In or Out)…
Companion Track: “In or Out” — Ani DiFranco
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1-17 · Jupiter Obsession (Dangerous Type)…
Companion Track: “Dangerous Type” — Letters to Cleo
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1-18 · Uranus Joy (Ladykillers)…
Companion Track: “Ladykillers” — Lush
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RFI Three · I Want Your (Drive)…
Companion Track: “Drive” — Incubus
Listen on YouTube


1-19 · Pluto Reversal (Never Say Never)…
Companion Track: “Never Say Never” — that dog.
Listen on YouTube

1-20 · Mars Bars (Naked Eye)…
Companion Track: “Naked Eye” — Luscious Jackson
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1-21 · Venus Breakdown (Bitch)…
Companion Track: “Bitch” — Meredith Brooks
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1-22 · Mercury Memories (Possession)…
Companion Track: “Possession” — Sarah McLachlan
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1-23 · Moon Shades (Shadowboxer)…
Companion Track: “Shadowboxer” — Fiona Apple
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1-24 · Sun Stroke (Sunny Came Home)…
Companion Track: “Sunny Came Home” — Shawn Colvin
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RFI Four · I Want You (Happy)…
Companion Track: “Happy?” — Mudvayne
Listen on YouTube


1-25 · Universal Truth (Here’s Where the Story Ends)…
Companion Track: “Here’s Where the Story Ends” — The Sundays
Listen on YouTube

1-26 · The Great Beyond (Stars)…
Companion Track: “Stars” — Dubstar
Listen on YouTube


Cycle I: The Record — Breaking The Cycle
Closing Arrangement: “Stars Align” — Lindsey Stirling
Listen on YouTube


The 30 Companion Tracks across the 26 primary pieces and four Interference pieces, together with the opening and closing arrangements, form the complete musical sequence for Cycle I: The Record, following the same order as the pieces they accompany.

Some pairings may become clearer after the piece has been read; others may remain less settled. A track can reinforce a voice, complicate it, or change what seemed certain about what was said.

For the pieces on their own, or to move directly between them, use Cycle I: The Record.

To approach The Hidden Voice through another passage, choose Cycle I: The Blacklight, Cycle I: The Nerve, or Cycle I: The Hidden Girl.

For other rooms in The House of Zan, return to the House Map.


Music & Rights Notice

The selection and placement of each track are a deliberate part of the editorial and artistic curation of the material presented. Artist names, song titles, and recordings are identified for reference and attribution.

The thematic, symbolic, or interpretive relationship created between a track and the material presented reflects the original editorial and artistic interpretation of that pairing. It does not imply that the artist intended, adopted, or endorsed that interpretation unless explicitly indicated otherwise.

Each identified track refers to the named artist, song, and selected original recording or album version, not to a particular video, live performance, remix, visualizer, compilation, reissue, remaster, or later release.

Listening links prioritize official or authorized audio releases whenever available; when one is not available, an official music video may be used instead. Unless otherwise stated, the video itself is not considered part of the artistic pairing with the written piece.

Availability may change by region or over time because uploads and access restrictions are controlled by third parties.

The original writing, commentary, editorial structure, and creative selection, sequencing, placement, and presentation of referenced music are part of the original authorship presented here; no claim is made to copyright in the underlying third-party musical works or sound recordings themselves.

Artists, songwriters, performers, labels, publishers, and other rights holders whose music is identified, referenced, or linked are not represented as affiliated with or participating in the material presented. Their identification does not imply authorization, approval, sponsorship, affiliation, participation, or endorsement unless explicitly indicated otherwise.

All rights in the identified musical works and sound recordings remain with their respective rights holders. No ownership of third-party music or recordings is claimed.