Mike, as someone who has spent quite a lot of quality time driving semi-aimlessly through the southwest, I could debate the right soundtrack for doing so for ages, but “feedback-heavy or industrial” wouldn’t be what I’d choose. I’m more of a Paris, Texas (Ry Cooder) sort of guy, I think, but then again the answer would also depend on whether one was driving along (in which case Quicksilver Messenger Service’s Who Do You Love? from Happy Trails always has a role to play) or just enjoying the view. For entering Death Valley itself, there is, however, no contest: Blind Willie Johnson’s You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond:

You’re gonna need somebody on your bond You’re gonna need somebody on your bond Lord, just wait in the midnight when death comes slippin’ in your room You’re gonna need, ah, somebody on your bond

Well, you get the idea.