Getting in the spirit
Spooky albums to listen to this Halloween
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With Halloween coming up Saturday now is time to get into the spooky season mood with some mischievous album picks. These albums scratch the itch for those wanting to celebrate Halloween with everything from pop classics, haunting lyrical odysseys and bone-chilling rock mainstays. These are some picks to throw yourself into the mystique of the upcoming Halloween season.
Michael Jackson -- "Thriller"
Starting off with the biggest selling album of all time, Michael Jackson's nine-song "Thriller" let audiences of the 80s know pop music was more than just new wave. "Thriller," "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" all in one album -- scratch that -- all one after another, is enough to make anyone a fan of the record. However, MJ's centerpiece of the album, the title track, is celebrated among some of the best music of all time, for good reason.
One simply cannot talk about MJ's "Thriller," without mentioning the incredible, spine-chilling music video which accompanies it. The video has everything: zombies, ghouls, skeletons and lots of horror icons.
Slint -- "Spiderland"
Commonly cited as the progenitor to the American post-rock movement, the terror inside "Spiderland" lies within the story of the album’s creation.
Slint, a band made up of young 20-somethings out of Louisville, Kentucky, recorded their first and only full-length studio release over one weekend with legendary producer Steve Albini. The recording of the vocals was so intense, the singer checked himself into a psychiatric hospital following the weekend stint in the recording studio.
"Spiderland" is a harrowing, challenging listen. Songs like "Washer," Don Aman" and "Good Morning, Captain" recount feelings of social isolation and existential dread. The vocals are delivered in a spoken-word tone, befitting of an album about patience within the eye of the storm.
"From behind the edge of the windowsill/There appeared the delicate hand of a child/His face was flushed and timid/He stared at the captain through frightened eyes/The captain reached for something to hold on to/'Help me,' he whispered as he rose slowly to his feet," singer Brian McMahan recounts on track six, "Good Morning, Captain."
David Bowie -- "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars"
The mystifying world of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" takes the listener on a journey through the surreal world of the British entertainment industry as it slowly engulfs the titular character with its slimy tendrils.
Songs like "Starman," "Moonage Daydream" and the title track, "Ziggy Stardust," showcase the way stardom is a beast in and of itself. It is glam rock to the extreme and maximalist with its presentation. The whole album personifies fame and stardom in an unsettling way, all the while still being catchy.
When folks think of Halloween, they think of monsters and ghouls. Bowie, in his own theatrical way, turns traditional horror onto its head and asks the question: what's scarier, man or beast?
Type O Negative -- "October Rust"
Lauded by the goth subculture, Type O Negative's "October Rust" is haunted to the max. Layered vocals, bone-chilling lyrics -- everything you need to get into the spooky season mood.
"Love You to Death," "Be My Druidess" and "Haunted" showcase the group's occult sensibilities perfectly. The sound of the record is drenched in reverb, making for an experience which overwhelms the senses and strikes fear into the heart of those who listen. It's perfect for a cold, rainy day with a cup of herbal tea and the smell of sage burning in the air.
There's even a romantic, sensual aspect to the musings of lead vocalist Peter Steele. Track 14 on October Rust, the aforementioned "Haunted" demonstrates his feelings towards love and lust.
"A swollen sun melting in the horizon/Between the sheets where I wait for her to come/A living flame, impossible to resist/Burning me deep with every bite, kiss and lick," Steele sings on "Haunted.”
The Cure -- "Disintegration"
Another goth classic, but one with mainstream appeal. The Cure's "Disintegration" mixes dream pop with gothic rock to create a vivid soundscape of electric music and shudder-inducing lyricism.
Songs like "Lovesong," "Pictures of You" and "Lullaby" may seem like love songs on the surface. However, frontman Robert Smith deceptively plays with the familiar concept and turns it on its head.
"Disintegration" is a great album for the emotionally erratic. It mixes well-known tropes of love, longing and heartbreak -- while adding its own twist. It is beautiful in its simplicity and universally recognized as a classic in its own right.
Chelsea Bossert is a staff writer at the Daily Mining Gazette. Her reviews of music, theatre, arts and entertainment regularly appear in the DMG.