I have been working on a party mix for Halloween, for no reason other than I just like to do that kind of thing. It currently consists of 132 songs, and I am trying to wittle it down but it seems like every time I take one out, I put another one in. The selection includes not just obvious must-haves like Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” and Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party;” but also things that just sound kind of weird or spooky, like Caribou’s “Irene” and Lindsey Buckingham’s “Slow Dancing.” Remixes are well-represented with examples like Metric’s “Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT remix)”–I love that song!–and MGMT’s “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters (Holy Ghost! Remix).”

But I also included songs you wouldn’t automatically think of as specifically Halloween songs like Queens of the Stone Age’s “No One Knows” and PJ Harvey’s “Black-Hearted Love.” I think Radiohead’s “The Gloaming” and “There There” are dark and scary, so they are in there. The mix winds up being both fun and moody, and surprisingly cohesive. Here are some current-year songs that are adding a fresh kick.
Royal Bangs - My Car Is Haunted from Let It Beep (2009)
MySpace | Buy

Glass Ghost - The Same from Idol Omen (2009)
MySpace | Buy

Peter Squires - Witch from Woe Is Me (2009)
MySpace | Website (downloads)

This band accomplishes something I have heard few even attempt: sounding like Wolf Parade, and they do it pretty well. I love the eerie, theramin-like lead instrument.
Black Hat Brigade - Zombie City Shake from “Fathers” (2009)
MySpace | Buy

Creepy sounds!
The Phantom Band - Burial Sounds from Checkmate Savage (2009)
MySpace | Buy

This has nothing to do with Halloween; I just like it a lot.
“When the going gets tough, the tough stop going to work.”
Logan Lynn - Write It On My Left Arm (Y-tron's Leaving Club Radio Edit)
from Blood In The Water (Remix EP Collection, V. 1)
MySpace | Buy

More soon, or as soon as I feel like it.

Art: Wallpaper from Pixelgirl Presents, a website featuring hundreds of examples of downloadable desktop art. (Note: this is a small version of the image, not suitable for wallpaper.)

Filed under: mix, themes, Black Hat Brigade, Glass Ghost, Halloween, Logan Lynn, Peter Squires, Royal Bangs, The Phantom Band

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