As Halloween creeps closer, the time for the ghosts and ghouls of the spooky season to howl their haunting melodies is now. This list will go through songs that will give groovy goosebumps and cold to the touch thrills.
The first fright on the list is “Burn” by The Cure, from the Cult Classic revenge film “The Crow.” The Gothic Rock outfit delivers a song as dark as it is alluring, as daring as it is dangerous, like an alleyway at night where the only light comes from the constant thunder like the shrieks of a siren. The Cure creates a chilling atmosphere with swirling drums like a midnight express, a driving bassline that will leave heads rolling, and a ghastly chorus that would make zombies crawl out of their graves.
Next in line is a song from two escaped circus jesters, a dastardly duo known as The Garden, called “Chainsaw The Door.” This electric track is an infectious art punk scene depicting a grizzly act of violence with a lethal chainsaw… on a door. Most of the track, lyrically, is pretty straightforward, but it is an earworm of a tune that takes over the brain with its infectious sound. Finally, the twins exit the circus in fashion with a surprisingly melancholic third act that leaves the audience applauding. This song is a magical performance, the kind that will turn a bluebird into a black dove.
Raising the temperature with this next one, “Heat” by Soft Cell is a boiling darkwave ballad on all things sinister. A commentary on temptation, this is one of the most lyrically unapologetic songs of the 80s. Projecting an evil energy, “Heat” hypnotically echoes through the ears like cave bats. A nocturnal nightmare that stalks like the soundtrack to a graveyard, always creeping, silently approaching, like fear. The band known for the off-kilter synth pop one off, “Tainted Love,” shows their pitch-black dark side.
Last, but certainly not least, “ATLiens” by the revered rap duo Outkast is the final nail in the coffin. This extraterrestrial epitaph on the state of Gangsta Rap in the south is as cold as Michael Myers, and as intense as the streets the rappers grew up in. The club hit opens with alien synths that immediately break, like the crashing of a UFO, into heavy bass and drones followed with unremorseful verses that show Outkast as seasoned songwriters unafraid of any ghost. The chorus is like a horde of zombies diseased with stoic apathy, chanting “Throw your hands in the air, and wave em’ like you just don’t care.”
These spooky songs for the sinister soul will possess the ears with their rhythmic soundwaves, though honorable mentions should be noted: “3030” by Deltron 3030, “Drip Drip” by Comus, “Great Milenko” by Insane Clown Posse, “Chains” by Matt Elliott, “Last Living Souls” by Gorillaz, “Don’t Go Near The Water” by The Beach Boys, and ”Altered Beast I” by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.