It’s that special time of the year again when practically every Halloween party imaginable subjects us all to the cliché seasonal standards like “Monster Mash”, “Purple People Eater”, “Ghostbusters”, and of course the classic (but severely overplayed) “Thriller”. Sure, if you’re lucky, you might end up hearing some Black Sabbath, Misfits, Bauhaus, The Cramps, or maybe some Slayer or Cannibal Corpse to really liven things up, but as fitting as those bands are on Halloween, suffice to say they are also to be expected this time of year, and not exactly surprising selections on your typical Halloween playlist.
But you know what? It doesn’t have to be that way. Indeed, not every Halloween soundtrack has to be predictable and cliché, as there are actually plenty of nontraditional selections by artists you might not associate with the season that can really help spice up your tired Halloween playlist (or at least add a little broodingly eclectic variety to the mix).
So, if you’re looking for some (mostly) atypical Halloween offerings this year, check out some of these salaciously subversive selections:
“I Was a Prisoner in Your Skull” – Swans
If you’re in the mood for a more atmospheric/cerebral brand of darkness, you’ll find no shortage of material from Michael Gira’s legendary Swans, but we found this piece from Soundtracks for the Blind particularly unsettling (the bizarre spoken word recording on the back-half of the track really takes the cake).
“The Color of the Fire” – Boards of Canada
Depending on your disposition, this brief interlude from Boards of Canada’s classic Music Has a Right to Children album might sound completely innocent, but if you happen to find eerie/distorted children’s voices moderately disturbing, throw this one on your playlist to creep everyone out!
“9th & Hennepin” – Tom Waits
This brilliant spoken-word performance from the legendary Tom Waits (clip from the movie Big Time) is dark AF and more than a little chilling…like Tom Waits reading you a fucked-up bedtime story…listening to it in the dark is also generally not recommended (he “hides in the stairway” and “sleeps in your hat” after all).
“Black Angel’s Death Song” – The Velvet Underground
Speaking of spoken word, Lou Reed was really channeling his inner Edgar Allen Poe on this eerie cut from The Velvet Underground’s groundbreaking/classic self-titled album. An artfully dark piece. R.I.P. Lou.
“Feel the Pain” – The Dammed
You could make the argument having The Dammed on a Halloween playlist is somewhat cliché, sure, but given that Dave Vanian & company still fly under the radar for way too many people in general (let alone this time of the year), we were inclined to make an exception here. Long live The Dammed!
“Practice Makes Perfect” – Wire
Sticking with those late 70s goth-punk pioneer vibes, Wire definitely offered-up a fair share of brooding tracks in their heyday, but perhaps no song sounds more overtly sinister in their catalog than “Practice Makes Perfect”. Between the menacing atmosphere, the maniacal vocals (including the evil laugh at the end), and references to “Sarah Benhardt’s hand”, the Halloween vibes are indeed quite strong here.
“Low Rider” – Ty Segall
Only Ty Segall could take this sunny classic from War and cover it with his patently demented Emotional Mugger-era grime and slime, making it sound almost unrecognizable to the original in the process. Easily the most sinister (not to mention original) cover of “Low Rider” of all time.
“Too Late for Suicide” – Osees
Sticking with grimy west coast psych-rock, John Dwyer and company really went all-in on the death-punk front on their latest album A Foul Form, so practically any selection from that record would be a fresh addition to most Halloween playlists, but we found “Too Late for Suicide” in particular to be the most subtly tense/campy of the lot.
“X.Y.U” – Smashing Pumpkins
Probably not the first band that comes to mind during Halloween (which is kind of the point here), but Billy Corgan and company have definitely shown some gothic flair over the years, particularly on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, but holy shit did they really go off on the blisteringly heavy “X.Y.U.”. This track would feel right at home on the heaviest Halloween playlist, so definitely add this one if you’re looking to up the intensity to downright scary levels.
“Hunter” – Portishead
Beth Gibbons has always had a generally haunting/tortured delivery in her vocals, but never before (well, besides maybe on “Cowboys”) had she and the band sounded eerier than on this 2nd track from their brilliant comeback album Third. It’s a delightfully ghostly/disorienting little ditty. Haunting indeed.
“Quote Unquote” – Mr. Bungle
On the opposite end of the spectrum, subtlety was never Mr. Bungle’s thing, but if you really want a subversive pick that checks practically all the Halloween boxes, it’s hard to beat the original band of masked misfits that used drop-d tuning (yes, that’s a slight dig at Slipknot), the malevolent Mr. Bungle, who was in fine form here on the 1st track of their legendarily batshit 1st album:
“Vertigo Motel” – Dog Fashion Disco
Speaking of Mr. Bungle, if you really want to dig deep into subversive territory, throw on this track from a band most people have probably never heard of, but who have nonetheless been valiantly carrying the torch of demented jazzy carny metal for over two decades now. Dog Fashion who? Add this track to your playlist and enjoy some confused/intrigued reactions.
“Empty Bones” – The Growlers
You don’t always have to scare everyone off with your subversive Halloween selections, as evidenced by this generally more accessible/listenable (relatively speaking anyway) old-school cut from The Growlers. Beach Goth indeed.
“Pilgrimage” – NIN
Trent Reznor and company have certainly cranked out their fair share of brooding material over the years, but no one instrumental in their catalog sounds quite as terrifying as this one from The Fragile. Essentially sounding like having a bad trip while on your way to the entrance of hell, suffice to say it’s an intense ride, to say the least, and perfect for Halloween.
“The Hands of Small Children” – Marilyn Manson
Speaking of Mr. Reznor, having his ex-chum Marilyn Manson on a Halloween playlist is a questionable call these days, not only because of all the recent troubling allegations against Mr. Warner, but also because we’re trying to not have a cliché list here. But, if you have to sneak in a little Manson this time of year, maybe just go with this brief, disturbing opening…uh…”song” from Smells Like Children, which captures him and his band at arguably their most depraved.
“3.0.1.F” – Type O Negative
Speaking of cliché, does it get any more than having Type O Negative on a Halloween playlist? But before you think we’re slipping on our subversive standards here, take a listen to this frightening little skit from their classic Bloody Kisses album (but make sure you do it with the lights on)! “Black No. 1” and “Love You To Death” might be cliché Type O choices, but “3.0.1.F”? Subversive Type O at its best.
“Beetles” – Aphex Twin
What kind of Halloween playlist has an Aphex Twin song that isn’t “Come to Daddy”? Why a subversive one like this, of course! Also, worth noting Mr. James has a fair share of subtly creepy songs, with eerie spoken word samples and the like, but something about this one feels uniquely peculiar/unnerving (and kind of brings to mind the last story from Creepshow to boot).
“Funeralopolis” – Electric Wizard
Looking for a Black Sabbath substitute that will blow everybody’s face off? Look no further than this centerpiece from Electric Wizard’s classic Dopethrone album. But be warned: this song is so heavy you just might soil yourself, so strap on your Depends and prepare to be devastated.
“Scream of the Butterfly” – Acid Bath
As evidenced by their stringent YouTube policing, Rotten Records really doesn’t like people discovering their prized possession: Louisiana death-sludge legends Acid Bath. But if one listen to this haunting ballad from their classic debut album When The Kite String Pops doesn’t lure you in, we really can’t help you here. Add this (and most any other Acid Bath song you can find) to your Halloween playlist to help make it 100% legit.
“Stop, I’m Already Dead” – Deadboy & The Elephantmen
Speaking of Acid Bath, their frontman Dax Riggs went on to have a modestly successful career as a solo artist after they broke up in 1997 due to the death of bassist Audi Pitre, who was tragically killed in a car accident. Who knows what might have been on the Acid Bath front, but fortunately Dax pressed on and gave us more than a few death-rock gems, like this one for example, which is a solid (not to mention accessible) addition to any Halloween playlist.
“Driving Me Backwards” – Brian Eno
If you don’t believe instrumental music can be more frightening in and of itself than the traditional lyrical approach, one listen to this dreadfully brooding track from Brian Eno’s brilliant solo debut album Here Come The Warm Jets might just change your mind. The king of ambient was just getting started on that front back in 1973, but was already breaking new ground, as evidenced by this moody little dirge.
“Jizzlobber” – Faith No More
Most Halloween lists that feature a Faith No More song are undoubtedly going to include “Surprise! You’re Dead”, but remember kids, we’re trying to be subversive here! And it doesn’t get much more subversive than this manically brutal slab of funky horror-metal from Faith No More’s brilliant Angel Dust album. Recommended volume level: high
“Where is My Mind?” – Pixies
The Pixies? Halloween? Again, while probably not the spookiest band out there, but there’s no denying this is a haunting track, and any excuse to throw it on a playlist (Halloween or otherwise), we say go for it! Plus, what’s more terrifying than losing your mind, right?
“Y Control” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Another band that might not strike you as particularly Halloweenish, until you checkout the creepy accompanying video for “Y Control”, which helps bring the generally dark undercurrent running through to life in eerily compelling fashion.
“The Nurse” – The White Stripes
Jack White has always had a bit of a dark streak, but this song about a sadistic nurse has always sounded particularly malevolent, in a subtly haunting way of course.
“Disgustipated” – Tool
Last but not least, Tool have never been overtly associated with Halloween, but they are plenty dark, which makes them perfect for this list. And the final track from perhaps their darkest album Undertow captures them at arguably their most demented, featuring Maynard delivering a cult-like sermon and a disturbing “life feeds on life” chant that would make most anyone shutter (particularly carrots, in this instance). Throw in a bizarre spoken word recording to round things out, and overall, you have a uniquely unsettling listening experience, kind of like this list as a whole.
Happy Halloween.
