Shuddersome Soundscape #1

Greetings! After such a long hiatus, it certainly is great to be back!

I present to you a new series called the Shuddersome Soundscape, a playlist of ghastly melodies for your Halloween season. Each week, I'll give you a different, Halloween-appropriate song from various subcultures. I'll try to post these every week in the "Spooky Season," from September 2nd to November 17th.

"Why November 17th?" you may wonder. a few years ago, my sister and I established that day as the official end to the Halloween season (not counting the fact that Halloween can be every day if you want it to be). Only after then do we freely start singing Christmas tunes and watching Yultide-themed movies and episodes. I'm not entirely certain why we chose that specific date, although it may possibly be because I threw it into a song I wrote a while back regarding the too sudden end of Halloween. Since then, the date seems to have stuck. Nevertheless, it just feels like an appropriate date for the occasion.

I'll kick this series off with the eerie "Witches" by Switchblade Symphony from their Bread and Jam for Frances album (1997).



For those who aren't familiar with them, Switchblade Symphony were a dark wave/trip hop duo from San Francisco, California. Their Bandcamp page describes their unique music as a combination of "orchestral sounds with heavy synth sequences and ethereal vocals to create a highly original sound resembling The Flower Duet sung over a twisted union of classical music and gothic rock." This blend truly contributes to a haunting atmosphere, especially when combined with lyrics that practically spell out the supernatural spooks and scares of Halloween.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shuddersome Soundscape #4: A Psychedelic Omen

Image
After an undead intermission, this week, we return to our spooky spell casters with a tune from the genesis of psychedelia. For our Spooky Season, I give you Donovan's "Season of the Witch" (1966). This song, released on the album Sunshine Superman , features a steady guitar riff alongside foreboding and paranoid lyrics, a groovy omen of oncoming devastation. Could this foretold disaster be the work of the supernatural? Well, in the context of the song's creation, the lurking danger is something a little more earthly. "There was a feeling...that all was not perfect in the Garden of Eden," Donovan spoke in Mojo magazine about this Season when the song was born. He called "Witch" prophetic, referring to the marijuana bust soon to occur within the countercultural community. Not long after, these busts seized Donovan as well. "Season of the Witch" has appeared on the soundtracks of numerous Halloween-appropriate films, including Season of th...
Read more

Show and Tell: Native American Metal

Over the years, numerous Native Americans have embraced the metal genre as a source of self-expression, a reflection of heritage, a release of tension, and an amplified voice calling for change or recognition. Some have been there since the beginning, helping to shape the high-energy genre we know today, while others take part in creating new subgenres that display their soul in unique ways.  Although the metal subculture encapsulates an incredibly diverse array of backgrounds with fans from all walks of life, it's clear that the face of metal, especially to outsiders, is, unfortunately, noticeably white. But under the surface, an unmistakable Native American presence flourishes, waiting for the world to recognize its vitality.  In honour of Native American Heritage Month, I've decided to gather together a few articles to share with you, hoping to give you a little look into the Native American metal community. A little Show and Tell, if you will (as I recover my wits from the...
Read more