★ ExComm’s Spooktober Playlist ★
Tis the season! In honor of this spooktacular time of year, our Executive Committee here at KCSB curated a playlist designed to scare your socks off! Read about our picks and listen below…
★ MADDIE’S RECS ★
This instrumental track off of Lisa Germano’s 1994 album, Geek the Girl, perfectly encapsulates a haunting energy, with the eerie strings, the strange echo that reverberates through the track, and the discordance of the drums in line with the screechy violins. Felt necessary to include in a spooky playlist!
“Killer Eyes” – Violet Indiana
With the combined power of Robin Guthrie from the Cocteau Twins and Siobhan de Mare from Mono, hazy dream pop excellence is achieved. The sort of trip-hop aspects of this song will always remind me of MTV’s Downtown, which is practically interlinked with the feeling of fall in my mind.
“Chucked” – Rob Crow
I absolutely love Rob Crow and am obsessed with every side project he’s ever indulged in, from Pinback to Thingy, The Ladies, Third Act Problems, and Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place, and that doesn’t even cover all of his projects. I’m obsessed with this song and I definitely think it’s fitting with the other songs I’ve chosen for this playlist, but also, the cover has plastic halloween decorations on the cover so I felt incredibly inclined to pick this track.
“Under Your Command” – Stina Nordenstam
Stina Nordenstam’s 1996 album, Dynamite, has always been a personal favorite of mine, but this track in particular feels eerie, and a bit unsettling during parts, while Stina Nordenstam’s alluring voice keeps the listener bewitched and holding on to her every word, reflecting the own lyrics of the track in an enchanting way.
“Little Trouble Girl” – Sonic Youth, Kim Deal
The two Kims!!! Kim Gordon and Kim Deal come together beautifully on this track and it feels like listening to two creepy sisters recount their strange childhood. I have always been a huge fan of both of these artists and little shoutout to KCSB when a friend and I won tickets to see Kim Deal this spring and she was amazing!!
★ SARAH N.’S RECS ★
“Fall Song” – Landing
Very Fall, very relaxing, very emblematic of jumping into a leaf pile; utilizes synthesizers which I believe is what gives the song its magic. (ambient drift rock)
“i godem on xbox” – lots of hands
A more withdrawn yourself and reflect, while maybe walking back home from class, kind of tune. The song is strictly ambient, accompanied by some sweet-sounding chipbites and jangles. (lo-fi)
“Magic Pig” – Tonstartssbandht
I would also say this song is very emblematic of Fall, and super catchy. If being a teenager and newly grasping that time is limited and your adolescence is slipping, however, you don’t necessarily view that as inherently negative… was a song.. This would be that song. (noise-rock)
“Spice Apple” – GhostInnaFurCoat
Reminds me of a pumpkin spice latte, or eating a candied apple with lots of chocolate sprinkles. (uk underground rap)
“Free For All” – The Chameleons
I got heavily into them the Fall of my senior year of high school and since then it’s become tradition to listen to them incessantly, as soon as the fall equinox hits. This song is amazing, and has a very haunted house connotation. (post-punk/goth rock)
★ LILY’S RECS ★
“Dracula’s Daughter” – Screaming Lord Sutch
Classic spooky track by the King of Horror garage rock.
“Dracula Hates Photoshoots” – Messer Chups
Instrumental surf rock with a rockabilly flair, from Saint Petersburg.
“Dead And Buried (Alien Sex Fiend Cover)” – RITUAL HUMOR
Old-school industrial goth, fronted by the infamous Nik Fiend… excellent stuff.
“Evil” – Mercyful Fate
Old-school heavy metal, love this album cover!
“Deathcrush” – Mayhem
Norwegian black metal, very influential band in the black metal scene with a marked history of murder, death… and intrigue.
★ STILES’S RECS ★
“Two Crows” – Old Time Relijun
Lofi goblin music from the Pacific Northwest. A manic amalgamation of jazz, punk, and Phil Elverum beating the daylights out of his drum kit.
“Zeroes” – King Midas Sound
Kevin Martin has worked on a ton of different projects throughout his eclectic career, but I think I latch onto King Midas Sound the most. This collaboration between Martin, Kiki Hitomi, and poet Roger Robinson features cutting poetry over unnerving industrial ambience. “Zeroes” sounds like a scrawny vampire’s ode to his lover.
“To Ride with Hölle” – Isengrind
Psychedelic horror drones from one-half of Natural Snowbuildings. This song is like stepping through a curtain of hanging bones into the scariest Halloween of your life.
“Despair Came Knocking” – Daniel Johnston
Constricted, limping, bubbling anxiety. If despair knocked on my door, I probably wouldn’t let her in.
★ AVERY K.’S RECS ★
“Stranger Feelings” by Dreamgirl
Both whimsical and equally as haunting – Dreamgirl is the perfect artist for a spooky fall day. This EP “Illuminaughty” which is such a dope name btw, is one of my faves – also with one of their bigger hits “Teenage Blue” coming off of it.
“Cannock Chase” by Labi Siffre
An acoustic guitar masterpiece, the strumming to this song always leaves me with a off-putting vibe perfectly suitable for an episode of Twin Peaks or montage in a horror movie before everything goes wrong…
“Blissed” by Suzy Sheer
This is what I picture the cool kids at Monster High listen to lol. Very hyperpop which fits my vibe recently, but with an additional ghostly touch.
Beautiful and simultaneously eerie, another ballad that I have on repeat this month.
★ EL’S RECS ★
“När Ska Min Själ Finna Ro” – Enhet För Fri Musik
This song makes me feel a little sick to my stomach– it truly freaks me out (in a good way). Enhet För Fri Musik is a Swedish free folk band, meaning they blend psychedelic and industrial influences with folk music. This song is ambient and spacey, not giving you anything to hold on to as it whisks you down a road of despair. Not spooky in the traditional sense, but it does a fantastic job at luring you in– like the fact we are all (accidentally) fascinated by tragedy. Just truly hypnotic.
“Taboo” – The Naked And The Dead
The Naked And The Dead only existed for 8 months in 1985, but were considered cult figures within the post-punk scene in New York. This band leans on the punk side of the scene, as opposed to the dark and moody sound typical of post-punk and gothic music. This song just feels so vampiric and mesmerizing, and makes me think of a vampire stalking her victims in a club. Good spooky gothic fun!
“Ghouls” – Horrorpops
Horrorpops is a psychobilly band from Denmark who I discovered by accident in high school when I found their merch in a thrift store. Their songs are campy and upbeat, with wickedly fun vocals and heavy guitar riffs. This song makes me want to dress up in a costume and dance under a full moon. I think it’s perfect for some wild fun this Halloween season. I will be wearing my Horrorpops merch all month and listening to this song!
“Empty Churches” – Giles Corey
Giles Corey is the solo project of Dan Barrett from Have a Nice Life, so it’s no wonder this song is spooky. This song features a fascinating monologue from paranormal researcher Raymond Cass, describing a phenomenon starting in the 1930s about hearing deceased family members’ voices from the radio. Raymond Cass spent his whole life researching the paranormal and experienced this phenomenon himself, which made him a pioneer in Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP)– a popular method of contacting ghosts in the paranormal field. Behind this chilling retelling are distant, distorted vocalizations and instrumentals that get louder and louder as the song goes on. It gives you the feeling like something bad is about to happen, which is perfect for letting yourself feel the scares this spooktober.
★ SARAH B.’S RECS ★
“Nasha” – Aurat
Super spooky, club-bumping post punk track from L.A. group Aurat, fronted by Pakistani-American singer Azeka. This song is sung in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, and Aurat mixes this native sound with elements of darkwave, new-wave, industrial electronic, and more. This song is haunting yet fun which is what halloween is all about and I wanna hear this in the club this Spooktober.
“Asylum” – Gary Numan
Absolutely spine-chilling track, two and a half minutes of pure spookiness. This instrumental track sounds like a haunted house and is unsettling in the best way. Gary Numan, electronic new-wave legend, is known for his synths and they turn into something frightening and freaky in this track, paired with an ominous piano that gives me the heebie-geebies. If you’re trying to get spooky and sinister at the function, play this.
“Twist” – Tones on Tail
Ominous, atmospheric, and funky all at the same time. Tones on Tail was a side project of Bauhaus guitarist Daniel Ash and carries with it that post-punk new wave sound that feels so spooky, goth, and fun. The danceable bassline is something I could see Wednesday Adams dancing to and the seagull caw sound effects remind me of the west coast horror movie Lost Boys. This track feels very Halloween by the beach so it’s perfect for here in SB.
“Witches” – Zenana
I’m completely under this track’s synth-pop spell. Zenana is an all-women trio that had a short run in the 80s but was recently signed to Rush Hour Records after this single was found by a DJ in a second hand store. This track was rereleased last year and I am so glad it was because I’m obsessed with its dancy, upbeat synth sound. It has that magical power of 80s music that makes people run for the dance floor.
“Dark Entries” – Preoccupations
Explores some really spooky stuff like existential dread, shadow selves, and moral decay in a raw garage-rock way. It is a cover of a Bauhaus song that was inspired by the gothic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (which the English major in me is obsessed with). Preoccupations, formerly Viet Cong, takes this song and gives it a rough punk sensibility with plenty of shoegaze-esque fuzz and distortion. This is off their 2014 album Cassette which delves into an experimental sound that haunts me as I find myself coming back to it often.
★ AVERY M.’S RECS ★
“Sketch of the Unknown” – The Blasting Company
There’s a lot of debate over the best Halloween movie/show/etc, but around this time every year, you’ll hear me making a very strong case that Over the Garden Wall is truly the pinnacle of spooky media – better than Hocus Pocus or American Horror Story or all that other junk. The Blasting Company is the group responsible for its iconic score, with this track being off of a collection of preliminary songs for the show. The 2014 children’s show is whimsical and eerie, largely thanks to its haunting soundtrack. If you don’t have the time to watch all 10 episodes, the score alone can get you into the perfect melancholy autumnal mindset.
“Spiderweb-Butterfly” – The Folk Implosion
Lou Barlow (of Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr) collaborated with songwriter John Davis for this side project. Their records throughout the 90s were unpredictable, fragmented, and surreal. The whispery vocals and minimalist instrumentals on this track make it a solid spooky tune.
“Sad Screaming Old Man” – Jeffrey Lewis
If any songwriter would write a catchy tune about fearing a creepy elderly neighbor, it’d be Jeffrey Lewis. He even sings as the old man at the end of the tune – it’s both hilarious and poignant, like all Lewis songs.
★ ISABELLE’S RECS ★
“Trippy Green Skull” – Dan Deacon
This is the perfect track to play during your sleazy Halloween party this year. Experimental pop composer Dan Deacon combines ominous chanting with a trance-esque beat on this 2007 track.
“FROM THE GRAVE” – BIG ASS TRUCK I.E.
If you aren’t listening to hardcore this autumn, what are you even doing? After Big Ass Truck (from my homeland, the Inland Empire) played in Oxnard this year (shout out Ventura County Hardcore, which is run in part by KCSB’s own Dillon Grove), I’ve been obsessed with their music. Check out the lyrics to this one on streaming services. It’s full of commentary and quips.
“Sneaking Into Yer House” – Emily’s Sassy Lime
This instrumental track from riot grrl band Emily’s Sassy Lime (which is a palindrome by the way! The same backwards and forwards) sounds exactly like the title. Creepy and sinister guitar music for this Halloween season.