Staff Pix: Halloween Edition
The Milk Crate staff’s favorite tracks of the week, presented with blurbs worthy of a promotional sticker on a CD release. Tune in Mondays from 7-9 EST to the Staff Pixx radio show.
Daniela Casto
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Perhaps one of the most iconic Halloween-themed songs out there. The costumes, the dance, the narrator’s creepy as hell voice, everything. A song that has been implemented into so many different TV shows and movies, that it may now remind me more of Jennifer Garner breaking the dance floor at the Poise party in 13 Going on 30 than the actual music video. However, no matter how many years pass, the Thriller music video will always live on.
Tatum Jenkins
killing boys - Halsey
“killing boys” by Halsey has a pop sound that’s too comfortable to incite any fear, but the intro sets the listener up for a bit of a spooky adventure. This song starts with dialogue from the cult classic Jennifer’s Body when the two main characters are arguing over the morality of killing people. One of the characters, played by Amanda Seyfried says, “You’re killing people,” to which the other, Meghan Fox, too casually responds, “No, I’m killing boys. Boys are just placeholders. They come and they go.” It’s an ominous revenge song about breaking into an ex’s house and destroying all their stuff, and has a storyline reminiscent of many horror movies. There’s a rhythmic drum beat that adds an element of suspense to the actions of the song as Halsey lists all the ways she wants to get back at the person who wronged her. The usual murderer chasing the victim around their house for revenge gets a pop twist with this song.
Natalia Szczepanski
Zombie - Dionysia
Dionysia’s “Zombie” is reminiscent of a low-key Halloween house party in the darkness of your friend’s basement, with nothing but orange and purple colored lights to discern faces. The song starts off with a sultry guitar and then is soon followed by the rest of the rhythm section: making you want to sway along to the beat. Garrett Brown’s vocals draw you in with help from lines like “And if you’re feeling six feet / Underneath the beat and the sorrow.” You also can’t forget the catchy instrumental section at the end, featuring a saxophone solo. So put on a costume, grab a friend, and dance along to this catchy song.
Nia Tucker
He Said, She Said - Ashley Tisdale
This is an unlikely choice for Halloween but this 00s Disney classic starts with what I can only describe as medieval vampire entrance music and it sets the mood for me imagining I can go out this weekend to party. The rest of the track is an unusually raunchy smash hit from Suite Life and High School Musical Alum. If you get a chance, please watch the music video where we get to see Ashley Tisdale dance her ass off at a dingy warehouse rave.
Eric Shifman
Dead Man’s Party - Oingo Boingo
Before the haunting melodies of Edward Scissorhands or the awe-inspiring operatics of The Nightmare Before Christmas, before even the Simpsons opening theme song, Danny Elfman composed zany new wave bangers with his band Oingo Boingo. Many of Oingo Boingo’s more famous compositions appeared on Dead Man’s Party (1985), including “Weird Science” and this macabre, ska-infused titular track. “I was struck by lightning, walkin’ down the street/I was hit by something last night in my sleep,” Elfman sings hypnotically on the hook. Next, he details how at parties for dead men, one must leave their body and soul at the door. To that, I say: Who could ask for more?
Kyle Woolery
Famous Monsters - Chromatics
Chromatics’ “Famous Monsters” is an exercise in stylish surrealism culminating in a cinematic fever dream. Vocalist Ruth Radelet recites a hauntingly beautiful spoken-word monologue atop entrancing synth instrumentation that sounds straight out of a 1980s Italian giallo. Lines like “Famous monsters / In a high rise / To drink strange blood” and “Marble mansion / Private party / Manicured lawn / To house strange blood” evoke mesmerizing, luxurious, and eerie imagery reminiscent of Society (1989, dir. Brian Yuzna) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999, dir. Stanley Kubrick) — films that expose the macabre underworld of the elite. At times, the chilling sonic landscapes and nightmarish lyrics border on Lynchian. “Famous Monsters” is practically destined to appear on a horror film soundtrack at some point in the near future.
Annie Wojnarowski
Crystal - Stevie Nicks
A holiday classic, Stevie Nicks’s rich voice cascades through this song like a witch flies through the moonlit sky. One of the most defining songs from the film, Practical Magic, “Crystal” is a bewitching ballad that has its roots in folk. A five minute record, it takes its time, slowly letting in violin until it swells into a spellbinding climax. Acoustic guitar, drums, violin, matched with one of the most iconic American voices of all time, it’s only right for a film about witches to include an artist who embodies everything magical about the season.
Erin Christie
Red Right Hand - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
I first came across this incredible song not as the title theme of the television series, Peaky Blinders, but as an addition to the soundtrack of the infamous 1996 Wes Craven classic, Scream. As the track plays — describing the torment of a haunting, constantly looming killer on the prowl — a scene unfolds where the town is implementing an early curfew in the wake of a number of Ghostface murders. Aside from being a perfect addition to the soundtrack, “Right Red Hand” is a generally great track, too; Nick’s devilish snarl combined with a set of romping keys creates the perfect concoction for sending a chill up one’s spine.