It’s here! It’s alive! It’s the FOURTH biennial Halloween Mix! I seriously can't believe it's been six years since the first time I did one of these. I'm posting this well in advance of Halloween so that y'all can properly enjoy the whole month of Halloween (and by y'all I mostly mean me because I really have no clue if anyone ever actually listens to these playlists (ars artia gratis, people!)).
We've got some really excellent tracks on here and some that are perhaps non-excellent but still DEFINITELY worth your attention.
 |
| N.B. Some of these songs are only excellent in the Bill and Ted sense. |
Let's get started!!!!!!! Click HERE to go to the playlist, which is on Spotify.
I'll give you the list first and then I'll write about the tracks below.
- Future Legends - David Bowie
- The Witch-Queen of New Orleans - Redbone
- Death Song - Bhi Bhiman
- The Sun is Burning - Simon and Garfunkel
- Evil - Chad VanGaalen
- Theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- The Twilight Zone - Rush
- Monsters - Angus Powell
- Concerning the UFO Sighting near Highland, Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
- Close Encounters - Bat for Lashes
- Planet Claire - The B-52's
- The Gloaming - Radiohead
- Theme from Stranger Things
- Among Us - Susanne Sundfør
- The Devil's Resting Place - Laura Marling
- X-Files (Twerk Remix) - Rellonthetrack
- Ambassador Bridge - Of Montreal
- The Yawning Grave - Lord Huron
- Theme from The Walking Dead (Bossa Nova Version) - Various
- Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
- My Death - David Bowie
- Little Ghost - The White Stripes
1. Future Legends - David Bowie
Here lies the opening/introductory track to Bowie's album, Diamond Dogs. It's a weird album to be sure, even for David Bowie. But it's home to the tracks "Diamond Dogs" and "Rebel Rebel," the latter of which was at one time one of James' favorite songs because he thought it was "Rubble Rubble," referring to Rubble, his erstwhile favorite Paw Patrol Pup. Anyways, this track is literally poetry and you'd do well to memorize it in case you ever find yourself called upon to recite a poem, especially in a formal setting.
And in the death,
As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy thoroughfare,
The shutters lifted an inch
In Temperance Building high on Poacher's Hill,
And red, mutant eyes gazed down on Hunger City.
No more big wheels.
Fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats,
And ten-thousand people-oids split into small tribes,
Coveting the highest of the sterile skyscrapers,
Like packs of dogs,
Assaulting the glass fronts of Love-me avenue,
Ripping and re-wrapping mink and shiny silver fox,
Now leg-warmers.
Family badge of sapphire and cracked emerald,
Any day now, The year of the Diamond Dogs.
2. The Witch Queen of New Orleans - Redbone
"She'll put a spell on you. She's the witch queen (aaaahhh!) of New Orleans."
3. Death Song - Bhi Bhiman
I came across Bhi Bhiman on a folk/bluegrass playlist that featured his track "Guttersnipe," which is just gorgeous so listen to it immediately. Anyways this here "Death Song" is from his 2015 album Rhythm and Reason, which is one of my favorite albums I've come across in the past few years."They call me Death as in die."4. The Sun is Burning - Simon & Garfunkel
You have to get to the penultimate verse before this song's placement on this list makes any sense. The music is relentlessly cheerful but the lyrics get really dark really fast. This is Cold War anxiety at its finest.
Now the sun has come to earth,
Shrouded in a mushroom cloud of death.
Death comes in a blinding flash,
Of hellish heat and leaves a smear of ash,
And the sun has come to earth.
5. Evil - Chad VanGaalen
I came across this artist thanks to my sister, Caitlan. We had the opportunity to drive from Texas to Utah and back a couple of summers ago and Caitlan had tons of great music that I had never listened to before.
6. Theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
One time James heard the theme song to this show when I was watching it and he said "That's good music, Daddy."
7. The Twilight Zone - Rush
I had never listened to Rush before until early last year but have listened to a lot of Rush since then. My mileage varies pretty widely with their music and I generally prefer their pre-mid-to-late-eighties albums. Anyways this track is from side 2 of their album, 2112. If you want to listen to Rush but don't know where to start, I recommend their live album, Exit...Stage Left. If your local library uses Hoopla, you can listen for free. Also go watch Twilight Zone because it's awesome.
8. Monsters - Angus Powell
The title says it all.
10. Close Encounters - Bat For Lashes
This song is from Bat For Lashes' latest album, The Bride, which is about a woman whose fiancee dies in a car crash on the way to her wedding and how she deals with and heals from the trauma. It's a really powerful album and I actually feel bad for taking this song out of context for this playlist, but obviously not bad enough to stop me from doing so. So howsabout y'all go listen to the album in its entirety to ease my conscience a little?
A couple of months ago I had the urge to take a deep dive into the music of the B-52's (as you do) and came across this gem. Actually the reason I wanted to listen to them was because I really like how the singing in Interpol's early stuff reminds me of the B-52's. Seriously, go listen to "PDA" from Turn on the Bright Lights and tell me I'm wrong.
Fun fact: "PDA" was basically my theme song that I had stuck in my head when I was staying nights in the hospital with Natalie after the twins were born. This was in part because of the line, "we have two-hundred couches where you can sleep tonight." Such a great line.
The only songs by The B-52's I ever heard growing up were "Love Shack" and "Rock Lobster." "Rock Lobster" was memorable because the family van, an early-nineties model red Ford Aerostar (may it rest in peace) broke down twice while that song was playing. And while we're on the subject of anthropomorphized lobsters, I'm in the middle of reading the second of Stephen King's Dark Tower novels, The Drawing of the Three, which features some excellent lobster monsters:
Isn't this song fun?
12. The Gloaming - Radiohead
My favorite band is Radiohead. I had heard this particular song (from the album Hail to the Thief) probably a hundred times before it occurred to me to figure out the lyrics:
That line about getting sucked down to the other side reminds me of...
13. Theme from Stranger Things
This show is great. The music from this show is great.
14. Among Us - Susanne Sundfør
I found out about this Norwegian singer/songwriter when she did a song for the closing credits of the 2013 Summer Sci-Fi Blockbuster starring Tom Cruise, Oblivion. I spent a lot of time listening to her album The Silicone Veil during the Summer before I started nursing school. As it happens, the title track, "The Silicone Veil" reminds me a lot of William Gibson's novel Neuromancer. Excellent song, excellent book, okay movie.
Anyways, this song is also on the album The Silicone Veil.
You know what's frustrating? Well, I'll tell you. What's frustrating is trying to find good versions of TV theme songs on Spotify. I had a really hard time of finding that Buffy theme, wading through covers of widely ranging quality. I actually couldn't find a version of the X-files theme that was close enough to the actual show to use, but I did find this lovely remix. You're welcome.
17. Ambassador Bridge - Of Montreal
As with Rush, my mileage tends to vary pretty widely with Of Montreal. But whenever I find myself inclined to play a single track over and over, it's often an Of Montreal song. For anyone looking to get into this band, some safe starting places are Sunlandic Twins, Lousy with Sylvianbriar or maybe, maybe Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
It was a happy day when I came across Lord Huron's album, Strange Trails. It's an absolute goldmine for my Halloween mix collection! And, as a bonus, it's also really good music by a band I already liked.
This track is my favorite on the album. It's not the flashiest or the catchiest, but on repeated listenings it's the one that sticks with me the most. Also, the sentiment of the song if very Lovecraftian: it's about the consequences of meddling with the unknown.
19. Theme from The Walking Dead (Bossa Nova Version) - Various
As with the X-files theme, the official Walking Dead theme song doesn't seem to be on Spotify. However, this bossa nova version is basically the best thing ever.
20. Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
I came across this song while reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. As it happens, that's also how I got into Rush (their album 2112 is an important part of the plot).
Anyways, this song is awesome. There's a guitar riff that runs through this song that reminds me of the Walking Dead theme and it makes me happy to think that just maybe there's a connection there. This riff is best heard about one minute and fifty seconds into the song.
21. My Death - David Bowie
This song is about how we grapple with the inevitability of death.
I'm a sucker for really long songs and I'm also a sucker for acoustic songs and I'm also also a sucker for Bowie songs. And, as you may have noticed, I'm also also also a sucker for Halloween-tangential songs.
22. Little Ghost - The White Stripes
This is a fun little song about a guy who falls in love with a ghost. I never really cared for The White Stripes until I watched Peaky Blinders. There's really good music on Peaky Blinders.
And that's all for this Halloween mix!
Here are the links to my previous Halloween Mix blog posts:
Halloween Mix 2012
Halloween Mix 2014
Halloween Mix 2016 (AKA Halloween Mix 1016)
If you have any suggestions for future Halloween Mix songs, please let me know in the comments below!
Thank you and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
I came across this artist thanks to my sister, Caitlan. We had the opportunity to drive from Texas to Utah and back a couple of summers ago and Caitlan had tons of great music that I had never listened to before.
6. Theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
One time James heard the theme song to this show when I was watching it and he said "That's good music, Daddy."
7. The Twilight Zone - Rush
I had never listened to Rush before until early last year but have listened to a lot of Rush since then. My mileage varies pretty widely with their music and I generally prefer their pre-mid-to-late-eighties albums. Anyways this track is from side 2 of their album, 2112. If you want to listen to Rush but don't know where to start, I recommend their live album, Exit...Stage Left. If your local library uses Hoopla, you can listen for free. Also go watch Twilight Zone because it's awesome.
8. Monsters - Angus Powell
"There are monsters here."9. Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
The title says it all.
10. Close Encounters - Bat For Lashes
This song is from Bat For Lashes' latest album, The Bride, which is about a woman whose fiancee dies in a car crash on the way to her wedding and how she deals with and heals from the trauma. It's a really powerful album and I actually feel bad for taking this song out of context for this playlist, but obviously not bad enough to stop me from doing so. So howsabout y'all go listen to the album in its entirety to ease my conscience a little?
Some say my lover is a pale green light,11. Planet Claire - The B-52's
He hovers high when the moon shines bright.
I feel him come to me in the dead of night,
And I go to the other side.
A couple of months ago I had the urge to take a deep dive into the music of the B-52's (as you do) and came across this gem. Actually the reason I wanted to listen to them was because I really like how the singing in Interpol's early stuff reminds me of the B-52's. Seriously, go listen to "PDA" from Turn on the Bright Lights and tell me I'm wrong.
Fun fact: "PDA" was basically my theme song that I had stuck in my head when I was staying nights in the hospital with Natalie after the twins were born. This was in part because of the line, "we have two-hundred couches where you can sleep tonight." Such a great line.
The only songs by The B-52's I ever heard growing up were "Love Shack" and "Rock Lobster." "Rock Lobster" was memorable because the family van, an early-nineties model red Ford Aerostar (may it rest in peace) broke down twice while that song was playing. And while we're on the subject of anthropomorphized lobsters, I'm in the middle of reading the second of Stephen King's Dark Tower novels, The Drawing of the Three, which features some excellent lobster monsters:
Isn't this song fun?
12. The Gloaming - Radiohead
My favorite band is Radiohead. I had heard this particular song (from the album Hail to the Thief) probably a hundred times before it occurred to me to figure out the lyrics:
Genie let out of the bottle
It is now the witching hour
Murderers, you're murderers
We are not the same as you
Genie let out of the bottle
Funny, ha ha, funny how
When the walls bend
With your breathing
They will suck you down to the other sideRadiohead has been a good source of songs for these Halloween playlists. 2012: "We Suck Young Blood. 2014: "Subterranean Homesick Alien." 2016: "Burn the Witch." 2018: "The Gloaming." And I've already got a track lined up for 2020 (bonus points to anyone who can guess what it is).
To the shadows blue and red
Your alarm bells,
They should be ringing.
This is the gloaming.
That line about getting sucked down to the other side reminds me of...
13. Theme from Stranger Things
This show is great. The music from this show is great.
14. Among Us - Susanne Sundfør
I found out about this Norwegian singer/songwriter when she did a song for the closing credits of the 2013 Summer Sci-Fi Blockbuster starring Tom Cruise, Oblivion. I spent a lot of time listening to her album The Silicone Veil during the Summer before I started nursing school. As it happens, the title track, "The Silicone Veil" reminds me a lot of William Gibson's novel Neuromancer. Excellent song, excellent book, okay movie.
Anyways, this song is also on the album The Silicone Veil.
There is a killer among us15. The Devil's Resting Place - Laura Marling
Looking for kisses, looking for jaws
He is a desperate soul
He collects hearts in jars.
"I've been with the devil in the devil's resting place."16. X-files (Twerk Remix) - Rellonthetrack
You know what's frustrating? Well, I'll tell you. What's frustrating is trying to find good versions of TV theme songs on Spotify. I had a really hard time of finding that Buffy theme, wading through covers of widely ranging quality. I actually couldn't find a version of the X-files theme that was close enough to the actual show to use, but I did find this lovely remix. You're welcome.
17. Ambassador Bridge - Of Montreal
As with Rush, my mileage tends to vary pretty widely with Of Montreal. But whenever I find myself inclined to play a single track over and over, it's often an Of Montreal song. For anyone looking to get into this band, some safe starting places are Sunlandic Twins, Lousy with Sylvianbriar or maybe, maybe Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
"When Sarah comes down from Detroit, I'll exhume myself and meet her."18. The Yawning Grave - Lord Huron
It was a happy day when I came across Lord Huron's album, Strange Trails. It's an absolute goldmine for my Halloween mix collection! And, as a bonus, it's also really good music by a band I already liked.
This track is my favorite on the album. It's not the flashiest or the catchiest, but on repeated listenings it's the one that sticks with me the most. Also, the sentiment of the song if very Lovecraftian: it's about the consequences of meddling with the unknown.
"Oh you fool, there are rules. I am coming for you. Darkness brings evil things. Oh, the reckoning begins."
19. Theme from The Walking Dead (Bossa Nova Version) - Various
As with the X-files theme, the official Walking Dead theme song doesn't seem to be on Spotify. However, this bossa nova version is basically the best thing ever.
20. Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
I came across this song while reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. As it happens, that's also how I got into Rush (their album 2112 is an important part of the plot).
Anyways, this song is awesome. There's a guitar riff that runs through this song that reminds me of the Walking Dead theme and it makes me happy to think that just maybe there's a connection there. This riff is best heard about one minute and fifty seconds into the song.
It's a dead man's party, who could ask for more?
Everybody's comin', leave your body at the door
Leave your body and soul at the door.
.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180728153332) |
| "Walking with a dead man over my shoulder." I read an article once where someone argued that a good metric for whether a monster counts as a Halloween monster is whether Hellboy would fight said monster. |
This song is about how we grapple with the inevitability of death.
I'm a sucker for really long songs and I'm also a sucker for acoustic songs and I'm also also a sucker for Bowie songs. And, as you may have noticed, I'm also also also a sucker for Halloween-tangential songs.
22. Little Ghost - The White Stripes
This is a fun little song about a guy who falls in love with a ghost. I never really cared for The White Stripes until I watched Peaky Blinders. There's really good music on Peaky Blinders.
No-one else could see this apparition
But because of my condition
I fell in love with a little ghost and that was all.
And that's all for this Halloween mix!
Here are the links to my previous Halloween Mix blog posts:
Halloween Mix 2012
Halloween Mix 2014
Halloween Mix 2016 (AKA Halloween Mix 1016)
If you have any suggestions for future Halloween Mix songs, please let me know in the comments below!
Thank you and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment