Weekly Track Roundup 10/24/22: the Halloween one
Welcome back from Fall Break! It’s spoooky season, so here are some cool spooky scary Halloween type songs for you
Tyler, The Creator - “NEW MAGIC WAND”
Some may say this song has nothing spooky about it, but if you really look into the lyrics, it tells quite a terrifying story. At this point in the album’s narrative, Tyler’s fully fallen into insanity; plotting the murder of his love interest’s girlfriend just to get with him. He wants her to disappear (like magic). Everything from the ear-splitting bass to the creepy, low-effort singing makes this song extremely spooky and villainous.
-Emmett Favreau
Ray Parker Jr. - “Ghostbusters”
A Halloween classic. I will not be surprised if this isn't the only time "Ghostbusters" is mentioned in this track roundup, but I couldn't not pick it as my song for spooky season, even if it is the obvious choice. The best part of this song, by far, is when Ray Parker Jr. says "Lemme tell ya something... bustin' makes me feel good" - I will never not find this hilarious.
-Maisie Wrubel
Three 6 Mafia - “Sweet Robbery pt. 2”
This song is by the legendary Memphis horrorcore/crunk rap group Three 6 Mafia. This song has for 4-5 years stood out to me as one of their most atmospheric and creepy. The cowbells and the lyrics are both very spooky. The whole album sounds like it could be a soundtrack to a really cheap horror movie, its great stuff.
-Lily Lazar
Childish Gambino - “Zombies”
I love everything about this track from the slow funk groove to the metaphorical message to the somewhat campy spoken-word refrain of "We're coming out to get you / we're oh so glad we met you" to that wah pedal guitar solo in the outro. It's so cute and so great. Also love how it ties into the album's story - Gambino clearly ended up getting bit, because on "Terrified" he sings "I'm going to eat you alive / Please don't find me rude, but I don't eat fast food".
-Nathan Hausspiegel
Bondage Fairies - “Levenus Supremus”
This song makes me feel like a halloween trickster. Lots of manic energy and horror-movie screams.
-Beatrix Briggs
The Correspondents - “Fear & Delight”
There’s nothing more terrifying than love, which The Correspondents make very clear through “Fear & Delight”. The entire song has a very predator/prey relationship that describes their lover as something beastly. But much like Beauty and the Beast, sometimes a beast is hotter than a human. Even the instrumentation is inherently spooky with the jumpy piano lines. This is for everyone who finds themselves looking for someone who will “drive them ‘round the bend.”
-Alexandra Taylor
Death Grips - “Beyond Alive”
To people who are not well acquainted with Death Grips, most of their songs probably sound quite scary, but I feel like “Beyond Alive” off of The Powers That B would scare people the most.
-Lukas Shvetsov
Liars - “Broken Witch”
like This Heat covering mystic folklore - a nutty song about witches, horse people, blood, blood, blood, blood
-Max Levin
Sematary - “Slaughter House”
I think a Halloween roundup would not be complete without representation from the rapidly-approaching-iconic Haunted Mound, and there may be no better member to showcase than frontman Sematary in his heyday. "Slaughter House," like many other Sematary songs, is a drill inspired track based around a black metal sample. There isn't a ton that differentiates this specific track from other tracks in his discography other than its quality, as the sample on here is absolutely top tier (and sounds amazing even to someone completely averse to black metal, i.e. someone like me!), but that doesn't take away from the track's magic. The hook may be one of Sematary's best, and is instantly sticky even to those uninitiated in the cult of the Haunted Mound. The lyrics are extremely aggressive but don't form into a specific story or idea outside of the Haunted Mound's slightly cartoonish but nonetheless delightfully spooky aesthetic, and that's all they need to do. “Slaughter House” is a wildly enjoyable song that set the stage for the emergence of the Haunted Mound in 2019 and 2020 and should not be absent from any thorough Halloween mix.
-Cassandra Weigle
Napoleon XIV - “They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!”
Ever since I was a young lad, this tune has always been in heavy rotation around this time of year 🎃. This song was actually a chart-topper when it came out in 1966, which is quite silly in my opinion. I can't say I particularly like this song, but I can say that this song is inextricably tied to Halloween for me and that is the reason I chose it. Besides, whats more spooky than dramatic ableism?
-Terry Brannigan
