Saturday, October 28, 2006

The IBNH Halloween Mixtape, Vol. 4...The Final Chapter

So here it is. The final installment of the Halloween mixtape. I have to say that I had a good time putting these songs together. Hopefully they've offered a somewhat different Halloween listening experience, I don't know about you but "Monster Mash" and all that other hokey stuff that tends to get played on Halloween was wearing a little thin. Anyway, I don't want to ramble, so on to the tracks.

1. Muse - New Born - I felt that this song needed to lead this collection off because, well, it just grabs you immediately and violently shakes your entire body throughout its entire length. The vocals emit this sense of urgency, and the pounding bass and edgy synths will have the hair on the back of your neck standing up. Oh, and you might want to prepare for an anxiety attack.
2. Mogwai - Auto Rock - the gradual build-up to this multi-faceted song is the hook here, the soft piano melody slowly shifts into this full out, in your face electronic rock opera, with this ever looming around the corner drum beats, giving the song a nice ambient, yet ominous, feel to it.
3. Efterklang - Monopolist - a very ethereal track, one that melds a beautiful string arrangement with the little beeps and boops one might here in a Radiohead track or something. What works here is the sense that there is no hope, the lyrics convey a deep sense of loathing, "save me from myself, leave my body broken", I can picture this song playing over the ending credits of some deeply disturbing film.
4. U.N.K.L.E. - Rabbit In Your Headlights - I'm a bit biased when it comes to this song due to the fact that it features Thom Yorke on vocal duty. The song itself is purely chilling, with Thom's voice accompanied by the creepy piano and various electronic ambiance.

To conclude the Halloween mixtape I decided to throw some songs together that are a little more well known. Some of them are kind of corny and silly, but we all know them, others are just fun Halloween tunes. So as you enjoy the Halloween Mixtape, grab these more or less "hokey" songs as well. Enjoy and Happy Halloween.

Michael Jackson - Thriller
REM - I Walked With a Zombie
Boris "Bobby" Pickett - Monster Mash
The Cramps - I Was a Teenage Werewolf
Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters
Car Stereo (Wars) - Hip Hop Halloween Monster Mash-up - this is actually pretty cool, it's based upon john Carpenter's The Fog, and includes songs like "Dare" and "Push It". Check it out, it doesn't disappoint.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Sweet Christmas! An exploding head! The IBNH Halloween Mix, Vol. 3

See, I wasn't lying when I told you that I had another insallment of the Halloween Mix coming very soon. I hope you like the above little animation. For those of you who don't recognize it, it's from a little film called Scanners, directed by the one and only David Cronenberg. Anyway, I'm going to have to keep this short because, well, let's just say that my oral surgeon didn't give me the greatest drugs on the planet to soothe my perpetual pain.

1. Nina Simone - I Put A Spell On You - I chose this song partially because it ties into the whole exploding head thing (you'll have to rent the movie if you want to make the connection), but also because the late great Nina Simone possesses one of the most soulful, haunting voices ever recorded.
2. Portishead - Sour Times - moving right along I've chosen this song because, well it's boasting some of the most self-loathing/self-pitying lyrics of recent memory and it's got this real creepy crawly vibe to it, it's almost as if Portishead sampled it straight from something like Silent Hill or something (everyone who has played that game will know what I'm talking about).
3. Lou Reed - This Magic Moment - okay, so you may be thinking to yourself, why in the world is this song on here? And I would counter by saying that Lou Reed's bizarrely hypnotic voice tends to strip away any of the innocence involved with the original version of the song. My sick mind can totally picture this song being played during a rape scene or something.
4. The Velvet Underground - The Black Angels Death Song - well, let's just say that if I were a homicidal circus clown, this would be my theme song. The off-kilter string arrangement, the echoing vocals, the ever present ominous strumming, oh yeah, and there's a bottle of whipped cream being discharged periodically throughout the song. Tell me that's not creepy.
5. Gary Jules - Mad World - this staggering cover of a Tears for Fears classic is included in this collection for two reasons. One happens to be because Leah told me to. The other is because it's a truly ethereal song, and Jules is able to carry it with his haunting and melodic voice. Oh, and it was in Donnie Darko, like my favorite movie of all time.

Well folks, thats all for the day. I hope you enjoyed this installment of the Halloween Mix. As always, feel free to leave your comments. Until next time, I suppose.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Artist Spotlight: Silversun Pickups

I know, I know. I said that I'd be delivering strictly Halloween mixtapes all throguhout the month of October but with the never ending amount of school work, i just haven't really had the chance to come up with another installment. Don't worry though, I'm working on a new one and I think you'll be pleased when I finally post it. As for now, I wanted to talk about Silversun Pickups, a band out of Los Angeles that I've been listening to a lot of lately. They're kind of like a 1990s heavy rock revival band, reminiscint of the Smashing Pumpkins. I wouldn't go as far as to say that they sound like grunge, due to the anthem-like rock sound with the edgy swirling ambiance that sort of sounds like tactics that Sparklehorse would employ. Regardless of how shitty I compare their sound, just trust me when I say that they're good, so check out the following mp3s. Have I ever lead you astray before?

Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye (if you only download one song from this batch, let this one be it)
Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles
Silversun Pickups - Kissing Families
Silversun Pickups - Little Lovers
Silversun Pickups - Dream at Tempo 119

That's all for today, I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled tomorrow so hopefully they'll give me some good painkillers. Anyway, make sure you check back often and remeber to leave comments telling me how great I am or how much you want to rip my testicles off and shove them down my throat. Either or. it's just nice to know you're appreciated.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Here Comes...the IBNH Halloween Mix, Vol. 2

So, I promised that I would be delivering the subsequent installments of the IBNH Halloween Mega-Mix in a timely manner, and well, as you can probably tell, I have made good on my promise. Today's installment features some really spooky and unsettling songs that are sure to make your Halloween that much more enjoyable. One thing about this installment that differs a bit from the first is the fact that this selection of songs is bit more ecelectic than the first. I think all of you will enjoy this next collection of songs, as they all exhibit a truly "Halloween" vibe.

1. Kronos Quartet - Summer Overture - anyone who has seen Requiem for a Dream will instantly recognize this this genuinely haunting song. The slick production and the mezmerizing strings that are weaved throughout this song cast off a truly ominous feeling.
2. Deftones - Change (In the House of Flies) - I never really enjoyed Deftones brand of nu-metal rock hop, but with their album White Pony they exhibit a more alt-rock sound, opting for more ambient distortion, which works effectively well on this track, a song that leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
3. Aphex Twin - Come to Daddy - this guy is really bizarre, there is an urban myth floating around about how Richard David James (aka Aphex Twin) locked himself in his vault/recording studio for a week or something with only water and copious tabs of acid. Whatever the case may be, this track is just utterly surreal, something about eating a soul and coming to daddy. I'll let you judge for yourself.
4. Joy Division - She's Lost Control - aside from being one of my favorite bands, Joy Division can be considered one of those bands who "pioneered" a certain sound. With their deep affection for dark, gloomy lyrics layered atop multitudes of synthesizers, they crafted deeply memorable songs that were, simply put, pretty damn spooky. Although lead singer Ian Curtis ultimately killed himself, their influence is more than apparent in today's music.
5. Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) - Manson's cover of the Euthryhmics hit is an unhol y union made in the deepest, darkest trench of Hell, which means it's a pretty cool cover. And Marilyn Manson scares me. Sometimes.
6. Cat Power - Werewolf - Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) has one of the most seductive voices on the planet. She is a singer/songwriter in every sense of the words and this haunting ode is no exception. The sheer emotion in her voice is spine tingling.

That's all for today, the second installment in the IBNH Halloween Mega-Mix is now complete, as always I hope you enjoyed these quality tracks and if you didn't, well then I'm not entirely sure why you're here in the first place. Either way, make sure you check back again soon, there is more of the Halloween Mega-Mix to come.