I agree with all that's been said here, too, and especially about Nick Drake. Listening to 'Black Eyed Dog' is a harrowing experience. Wasn't he borrowing the idea from Robert Johnson, who also suffered from depression?
For me, the same goes for 'Closer', which sounds exactly like what it is, a map of a suicidal mind.
But I've always thought that Beefheart really had it together, and knew exactly what he was doing. During some interviews he would talk about the psychological effect of syncopated rhythms, in breaking up habitual expectations and conventional states of mind. He was a canny chap.
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