Have some time to kill between this year’s Halloween festivities? Try throwing on one of these spooky LPs to further immerse yourself in the holiday spirit.
“Floodland” — The Sisters of Mercy
“Floodland,” the 1987 sophomore album from The Sisters of Mercy, is essential to any gothic dance party. A dark and moody guitar riff — matched with a driving, industrial drum beat — makes the album’s seven-minute opener, “Dominion/Mother Russia,” an obvious standout. But the Sisters keep things haunting for the entirety this of dark wave classic with slower tracks such as “1959” and “Never Land (A Fragment).” Frontman Andrew Eldritch leads his listeners on a dim and danceable journey throughout, with a voice that measures up to goth rock legends such as Peter Murphy.
“Bad Moon Rising” — Sonic Youth
The flaming, pumpkin-headed scarecrow on the cover of Sonic Youth’s “Bad Moon Rising” is enough to make the record a perfect choice for Halloween. Released during the band’s earlier no wave period, Sonic Youth builds a harsh aesthetic throughout this 1985 album with discordant guitars and abstract lyrics focused on the darker underbelly of American culture. “Ghost Bitch” and “I’m Insane” are most relevant to the Halloween theme, but guest vocals from the gloomy songwriter Lydia Lunch on the album’s closer “Death Valley ’69” are also worth a mention. For a deeper dive, check out the aptly-titled “Halloween,” a murky bonus track sung by bass player Kim Gordon.
“Blood Bitch” — Jenny Hval
On her 2016 album “Blood Bitch,” the Norwegian songwriter Jenny Hval melds together a handful of poignant themes such as desire, menstruation and vampires. Building on the literary influence of Virginia Woolf and borrowing from the aesthetic of classic horror movies, Hval crafts an art pop concept album — in her words, “an exploration of blood” — that is gothic, foreboding and deeply layered. On “Female Vampire,” pulsing synthesizers help craft an anxious mood, before transitioning into the sounds of heavy breathing on “In the Red,” which could fit comfortably into any slasher film chase scene.
“6 Feet Deep” — Gravediggaz
“6 Feet Deep,” the 1994 debut from the hip hop supergroup Gravediggaz, is a bonafide classic. Two of the album’s heavyweights, RZA and Prince Paul, took on new monikers — RZArector and The Undertaker, respectively — to craft this grim exploration of violence, mental illness and the supernatural. But along with the dark subject matter comes an exaggerated and cartoonish quality, similar in tone to the “Evil Dead” movies, that keeps this album entertaining throughout. Over a number of ominous beats, each emcee comes through with their own bone-chilling delivery. Over 25 years later, “6 Feet Deep” remains a cornerstone of the horrorcore subgenre, having lost none of its edge.
“The Drift” — Scott Walker
Scott Walker’s 2006 album “The Drift” contains some of the most unsettling music ever recorded. With constant suspense and dissonance, the album often achieves moments of vivid cinematic quality. Ominous footsteps descend down the stairs on the track “Jolson and Jones” and an eerie radio broadcast fuzzes in during the intro of “Buzzers.” At times, Walker even roots his lyrical imagery in disturbing realities, such as the execution of Mussolini and Elvis Presley’s stillborn twin brother, adding another layer to the album’s discomforting atmosphere. “The Drift” was the second entry in a trilogy of equally bleak avant-garde records, all highlighted by Walker’s ghoulish baritone voice.
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