Back in 2014, Transylvania Tapes released a compilation of “Nashville area bands and musicians performing spooky songs” entitled Spooky Sound FX. The thirteen track compilation manages to cover a lot of ground stylistically, ranging from Misfits style rawk with a barked chorus (Bang Boys) to hypnotic electronic beats with a spoopy vibe (Bee Pee) to instrumental goth that sounds like a Cure b-side (The Urns). A little Halloween variety makes for a much more rewarding listen.

Of the bands listed here, three (Wild Minds, Boo Dudes, Western Medication) are recognizable. This may be a sign that band turnover in the Nashville area has become a problem in the last four years or several of these “bands” were just made up for the purposes of contributing to this compilation. I’ve searched around for more tracks from “Bee Pee” and come up short.

More compilations of this style should exist and this compilation should be a template for 2019 to make it happen again.

If you heard the 2018 Halloween episode of the WOTT Music podcast then you heard Terrible covering Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with a clever turn of genre and style. That cover is part of an EP of cover songs entitled The Devil Is Drunk, I Am Halloween that also includes versions tracks originally from The Misfits, Tom Waits and Ryan Adams.

Obviously “Thriller” is Halloween appropriate given its history but one could argue that anytime one band covers another they are “putting on a costume” of sorts. Maybe that’s a stretch but I stand by it!

In order to fully appreciate the spin that Terrible put on these covers, you need to know the originals as well. So, do a little compare and contrast with the above Bandcamp embed and the originals linked below.

• The Misfits – Horror Business
• Tom Waits – Murder In The Red Barn
• Ryan Adams – Halloweenhead
• Michael Jackson – Thriller

With the premiere of “Little Less Left“, the third video from New Man‘s debut Sings, it’s clear that wearing your heart on your sleeve should be a pre-requisite for any good pop song. Lyrically, the song focuses on the hardships of leaving the past behind; both as a Konmari Method of minimalism as well as learning to emotionally let go. “Little Less Left” doesn’t try to hide that melancholy feeling but it does wrap it in a veneer of glee, presented as nonsensical “bah bah’s” and soaring harmonies.

As noted in our album review, Sings has an “everything including the kitchen sink” approach to a lot of the tracks. For a less skilled songwriter, this could result in a chaotic cacophony but here we get a literal representation of that multitude of voices working together as the video culminates in a Brady Bunch style grid of voices harmonizing.

On the whole, this is the most ballad-y of the tracks on the record but certainly one that we can all relate to.

Rarely does an EP leave me with the feeling that I need to revisit an artists catalog and catch up on my Classic Batman but they’ve managed to accomplish just that.

Let’s get something straight right out of the gate here, Ska is not my preferred genre. In fact, I downright dislike it. Sure, I can appreciate a skanking tutorial but the buck stops there.

That being said, my disdain for the genre is exactly the point with Boo Dudes latest Halloween offering, Ska Ska Scary. The band has always managed to find a balance between being actually talented and actively trolling you. Their whole existence is based on taking the expectations of Halloween music and flipping them on their head. On Haint Anger, their most accessible release, they hop between traditional country, B-52’s style pop and 50’s parody rock. Since that 2017 release, they also released Halloween music in March, a song about taxes, a drugged out psych rock track and the happiest Friday the 13th song you’ve ever heard.

The fact that Ska Ska Scary may incite a facepalm of bafflement is actually a win for the band. I may not want to actively listen to it but I respect them for actually finding a way to blend the two worlds.

Back in August, we stumbled upon hip-hop instrumentalist Hikko Mori and his debut Self Portrait. Turns out, that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Hikko’s offerings and he’s since followed up with two EP’s – Sex in the Suburbs and GOODBYE. All three exist under the same umbrella of Beats Ready For Vocals but they’re a satisfying listen on their own.

While I’m no expert, most hip-hop beats keep a pretty persistent pattern, leaving a maximum amount of room for the vocals to be the showcase of the track. Since these EP’s have no vocals, that persistence could potentially run the risk of getting pretty boring, pretty quick. Fortunately, Hikko Mori peppers in plenty of samples and musical shifts to keep it interesting. There’s still plenty of time to let yourself be immersed in the openness of the song but it rarely drags.

Do yourself a favor and listen to “That Feeling When You Lose Your Virginity” which features everyone’s favorite loon losing his mind.

One might think that Protomen have a monopoly on Mega Man based entertainment but, turns out, there’s plenty of room for other creative endeavors. Composer Andrew Goodwin lent his musical skills to a Mega Man inspired short film simply entitled Mega Man X, the results of which are now available as a soundtrack.

As you might imagine, the short film itself has undergone all sorts of copyright infringement issues but you can still find it, with little effort. It’s an impressive technical feat for a new filmmaker – largely showcasing a choreographed battle between two humanoid robots. There’s a bit of plot bookending the endeavor but, on the whole, there’s not much to it.* Fortunately, where the film may feel a little empty, the soundtrack provides a much more fulfilling experience.

The writeup about the soundtrack creation experience adds another level of appreciation for the output. Have a look:

It was the first time I had ever used midi/VST instruments. I was also literally stitching audio string samples together by hand. I only had 2gb of ram and I had to play back the video on a separate netbook by clicking play on both computers simultaneously. But I didn’t care, I was just excited to be writing music. The video ultimately received 4 million + views before being taken down.

Given that the subject matter of Mega Man (in general) is about a dystopian future, it’s fitting that there would be some hardships in all parts of the creation. The track “Mad Robots” edges closest to the OutRun genre but the remainder of the tracks feel part of a broader, more desolate, landscape. It’s sweeping and dramatic without feeling cheesy.

* Look, WOTT is a Positive Energy Vibe Zone so it’s never easy to be critical of someone’s hard work but it’s also inauthentic to not be honest. This is only a subjective opinion, you may love the film.

Back in 2016, The Shadowtones posted some Demos over on Bandcamp and proceeded to play out regularly amongst the psych rock crowd, fine tuning their craft (as you do). Now there’s a full-length album on the horizon with the first single, “Goodbye“, now streaming.

The band – comprised of familiar names Meghan D’Amico, Rachel Warrick, Joey Dykes and Dave Cate – clearly has a penchant for the dark and foreboding. Not to put too fine a point on it but there’s a manic Jefferson Airplane vibe to this track, warped and ominous but absolutely soaring with the vocals.

If the bands Instagram is to be trusted, the album will be here before we know it, so expect more insight on the full-length when it arrives.