Halloween Albums: Misfits

Happy Halloween! The final album pick is kind of a cheat because it's a single. The last pick is the Halloween single by America's horror punk darlings, the Misfits. In my opinion "Halloween" is the ultimate song for All Hollow's Eve. It's dark, rock'n and fun to sing along with. So there it is...my Halloween picks.



Misfits

Halloween Albums: Black Sabbath

Today's pick is Paranoid by the grandpaws of heavy metal, Black Sabbath. I don't think this pick really needs any explanation. Be sure to eat a bat while you're jamming out to these gnarly riffs. Oh wait, or was it Alice Cooper that ate the bat? Oh well, go ahead and add some Alice Cooper to the set list while you're at it. I'm sure there's a plethora of suitable Cooper songs for Halloween. Ok, Halloween is tomorrow! What will be the final Halloween album pick? Only my mom can hardly wait. Hi mom.

Black Sabbath

Halloween Albums: Fantomas

Only two more days until Halloween! Today's pick is The Director's Cut by Fantomas! Fantomas is one of those bands where if you haven't already heard of them or singer Mike Patton, then you probably will not like them. It's not that I'm trying to be a condescending snob or anything, it's just that if you know inescapable bands like Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, or Peeping Tom, then you damn well know about Fantomas. So if you don't know about Fantomas then you probably don't know about Patton's other bands and this kind of music is probably not your thing...which goes back to my original point - if you haven't heard of them, you probably won't like them. But what do I know? I like them. One of my best friends LOVES them and could tell you whether Mike Patton wears boxers or briefs and what his favorite color is.

Anyway, The Director's Cut is a cover album of popular movie themes. The track list is evidence enough that it belongs on my Halloween album list...

1. "The Godfather" (Nino Rota) – 2:45
2. "Der Golem" (Karl Ernst Sasse) – 2:38
3. "Experiment in Terror" (Henry Mancini) – 2:40
4. "One Step Beyond" (Harry Lubin) – 2:57
5. "Night of the Hunter (Remix)" (Walter Schumann) – 0:58
6. "Cape Fear" (Bernard Herrmann) – 1:49
7. "Rosemary's Baby" (Krzysztof Komeda) – 3:20
8. "The Devil Rides Out (Remix)" (James Bernard) – 1:37
9. "Spider Baby" (Ronald Stein) – 2:25
10. "The Omen (Ave Satani)" (Jerry Goldsmith) – 1:49
11. "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" (Robert McNaughton) – 3:07
12. "Vendetta" (John Barry) – 2:03
13. Untitled – 0:05
14. "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" (Ennio Morricone) – 4:00
15. "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" (Angelo Badalamenti) – 3:28
16. "Charade" (Henry Mancini) – 3:04

Fantomas

Halloween Albums: Siouxsie and the Banshees

Keeping with debut album theme, today's Halloween music pick is The Scream by Siouxsie and the Banshees. The song "Suburban Relapse" was inspired by the stabbing strings of Bernard Herrmann's Psycho, and the song "Carcass" is about, umm well, we'll let Sioux explain...

"Yeah Carcass -- it's about a butcher's assistant who can't get girls and so he falls in love with a lump of meat on the slab and so that he can be like the object of his affection -- he cuts off his arms and legs."

Ah hold on! I say (thinking I've deduced a flaw in their logic), How can he cut off ALL his arms and legs -- it would be really difficult for him to cut off his last arm -- wouldn't it?

"Not at all", comes the reply "he just leans his shoulder on the Bacon Slicer!"

Sounds like Halloween to me.

Siouxsie and the Banshees

Halloween Albums: Man or Astroman?

Monday's Halloween music pick is the debut album from Man or Astroman?. Now this isn't necessarily your typical "Halloween" music pick, none of these selections are really meant to be, which is why you won't see Thriller on this list, but it is a great instrumental sci-fi surf-rock album.

I've loved this band for many years. I was actually able to meet the band once and had them reluctantly sneak me and my other 17 year old friends into the 18 and up show. The performance culminated with the bass player running around the stage with a hollowed out computer monitor on his head that had been set on fire as a tesla coil placed in the middle of the stage shot bolts of electricity through the air. Good times. This one comes highly recommended!

Man or Astroman?

Halloween Albums: Howlin' Wolf

Friday's Halloween music pick is Evil by the great Howlin' Wolf, born in White Station, Mississippi. Howlin' Wolf didn't sing the blues, his 6 foot, 300 pound mass would belt the growling lyrics out of his guts. Music critic Cub Koda once declared, "no one could match [Howlin' Wolf] for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits." It's true, I've got American Folk-Blues Festival: The British Tours 1963-1966 on DVD where Howlin' Wolf plays a few tunes and the man will definitely creep you out. I mean after all, Blues is the original Devil's music!

Howlin' Wolf

Halloween Albums: Bauhaus

So I've decided to post an album suitable for the Halloween season every weekday until the 31st...that is, if I can think of that many albums perfect for gettting yourself creeped out.

Today's choice is The Sky's Gone Out by the original gothfathers, Bauhaus. I believe this is their next to last album before they broke up and a few of the emo's went on to form another good band, The Love & Rockets. Now that I think of it, "Haunted by your Love" is a pretty good Halloween song by the L&R. Any of the Bauhaus albums would probably work for this post. Also pick up "Bela Lugosi's Dead", the first single from Bauhaus.

Bauhaus

Halloween Music

Halloween is almost here and I love Halloween. If you are looking for some music to jam while carving your pumpkins (which I will be doing this Saturday), then I would recommend Bad music for bad people released in 1984 by The Cramps! Nothing says Halloween like grungy horror-tinged psychobilly! I haven't listened to this album in over ten years but decided to pick it up again last week. I forgot how much I love this record! Pick it up! The obvious Halloween hits are "Human Fly" and "Goo Goo Muck".

The Cramps

Control

Last night I finally watched Anton Corbijn's Control, a biopic about Ian Curtis from everybody's favorite post-punkers Joy Division. Despite the depressing yet beautiful black and white imagery and downright melancholy story, I really thought this movie came across as a real celebration and tribute to Joy Division and the oh so fruitful Manchester music scene. Toby Kebbell (who I believe won a supporting actor award of some sort) as the band's manger, Rob Gretton, was a definite highlight for me and provided a much needed splash of calming and comedic relief. It was like Corbijn was using Gretton's role as Joy Division's manger to, in a way, help manage the audience work its way through the tragedy and turmoil. It's one of those movies you will probably never watch again but are glad you did.

CONTROL

Oxford American

Here's a nice story from the Oxford American on how Lil Wayne helped school teacher David Ramsey survive his first year of teaching in New Orleans. The Oxford American was originally published in Oxford, Mississippi in 1989, until 2002 when it was bought out and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. It is now published out of The University of Central Arkansas in Conway as a quarterly. I stopped buying the OA on a regular basis after it moved to Arkansas but it has always been a lesser-known, quality publication. The annual Southern Music issue was always worth taking home. You know, now that I think about it, I just might renew my subscription.

I Will Forever Remain Faithful by David Ramsey

The Oxford American

FREE T.I.

Just in time for Christmas! Order your "Free T.I." shirts today! Ok, I got a little bored this weekend.

"FREE T.I." T-SHIRTS

McBess / Fowler

I love the illustration work of MCBESS! I think I enjoy it so much because, had I discovered something like this at the age of sixteen, I would have been obsessed. Peter Fowler is another illustrator that, for me, has that same appeal. Peter Fowler was long-time "resident" artist for a favorite band of mine, the Super Furry Animals. You can tell both artists have a love for music.


- MCBESS
- Peter Fowler

PodMix

I've really enjoyed the recent Resident Adviser podcast mix by Lee Jones. It's a rather subdued mix of cinematic embellishments and minimalism which is perfect for, say, cleaning up the house. I know that doesn't particularly sound like the most ringing of endorsements but it's good, I promise. Minimalism bored me to tears a while back but now I've really begun to enjoy a lot of it. Much of it can still be boring and uninventive but it has its merits.

If you like dance music then the Resident Adviser podcasts come highly recommended. But I mean, if you like dance music then you probably already know about RA. I love the Stimming mix as well.

Resident Adviser Podcasts

Cool

I guess you have to love the entrepreneurial spirit in Hip Hop. This is probably the cool(io)est idea (well, besides Wu-tang Financial) that has come from said entrepreneurial spirit. Rapper Coolio is coming out with his very own cookbook, how awesome is that! Thank you for not creating your own line of sports wear and thank you for not making music anymore, but I think this is genuinely a good idea and totally plan on buying this thing when it comes out so my ass can learn how to make the Coolio Caprese Salad. This is just fun and, I think, a great idea.

Chartsengrafs

Found on Changethethought

ACL Photos

I have a few pictures from the 2008 ACL Festival posted here. No band pics, you'll have to visit Pitchfork for that.