☆ Excomm’s 2024 Spooktober Playlist ☆
This October, KCSB’s staff came together to compile a playlist of the spookiest, ghastliest, most macabre tunes to spin while hunting ghosts, conjuring evil spirits, watching the Charlie Brown Halloween movie, or participating in any other frightening activity. Read on to hear some words from the station’s staff!
PARKER’S RECS
- “Tape Deck Ghost” by The Microphones
This early Microphone’s track sounds like a crazed man hiding in your walls. The song starts off with pounding, echoey percussion that reminds me of the heartbeat that drove the narrator mad in Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. The percussion is soon joined by a noisy, distorted bassline which cuts out alongside the percussion as soon as Phil Elverum’s whispery voice accompanied by an off-kilter organ enters in. The percussion and bassline jump back in, and all the elements of the song blend together to create a dreadful marching tune. If you can strain your ears enough to pick up on Elverum’s hauntingly quiet vocals, you’ll hear his account of hiding in the back rooms, isolated amongst walls of books.
- “cave yourself over” by bedwetter
Known to most as Lil Ugly Mane, Travis Miller dives deeper into experimentation and darker storytelling on his 2017 project volume 1: flick your tongue against your teeth and describe the present under the moniker bedwetter. This project is a standout in his discography, its instrumentals far more bleak and cloudy and with lyrics more visceral and frightening. The project features a couple instrumental tracks, “cave yourself over” being one of them. The song has white noise-like ambience overlaid with a slow, melancholic piano melody that repeats throughout its run time. A keyboard that sounds like it’s emulating the sound of a person humming joins in after about 20 seconds, and the melodies repeat until the song jarringly cuts out. The song is delicate, reflective, and perfect for when the fog in Isla Vista gets so dense you can hardly see ten feet in front of you.
- “Disorder” by Bedhead
This cover of the Joy Division hit is far slower and more stripped-back than the original. They offer a gloomy take on the song, with guitars and drums that sound haphazard while still maintaining a solid tempo. The vocal delivery is much more relaxed than Ian Curtis, the whole song has an effortlessly slacker vibe to it. Autumn in Santa Barbara can be bright and sunny just as easily as it can be gray and overcast, I’d recommend saving this song for those drearier days.
- “To Carry the Seeds of Death Within Me” by The Body
This song is brutal. Upon playing the track the listener is immediately greeted with a shrill screech, soon joined by the booming percussion and powerfully overwhelming bass. Running at six and a half minutes long, it combines drone metal, industrial, and sludge to create the perfect soundtrack for a psychedelic horror movie.
- “Hybrid Moments” by Helvetia
Misfits are a quintessential Halloween punk band, and this cover of one of their most popular songs does it a lot of justice. Helvetia, formed by Jason Albertini and Canaan Dove Amber of Duster, take the song down to a slower tempo and peel back the layers of fuzz and distortion to give it a cleaner sound. No longer a Halloween party song, this version is suited for the dark and quiet walk home afterwards.
MAYA’S RECS
- “Horror” by Algernon Cadawallader
Algernon Cadwallader’s “Horror” pulls off blending playful, jangly math rock with macabre themes, making it a perfect fit for Halloween. The song is a whirlwind of angular guitar riffs and frantic drumming. With references to classic horror icons like Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolfman, it paints a chaotic portrait of monsters losing their terror. The lyrics also touch on darker themes, weaving in the real horrors of American history, suggesting that real-life horrors rival the fictional.
- “Brutus” by The Buttress
This song is hauntingly intense and a theatrical track that earns its spot on any Halloween playlist. Combining historical tragedy with an eerie, foreboding atmosphere, it draws on the story of Julius Caesar’s betrayal. The sharp, biting delivery of the lyrics, along with the dark, cinematic production, creates an ominous vibe. The echoing chants of “brutus!” paired with the eerie, dramatic beats bring to mind a scene of betrayal, dripping with suspense.
- “There Are Ghosts” by Karate
Karate captures an eerie stillness and quiet dread in “There Are Ghosts.” The song’s minimal, slow-burn jazz-inflected post-rock sound creates an unsettling mood, like walking alone at night on dimly lit streets. The lyrics are fragmented and cryptic, recounting strange, disjointed moments of unease: a “small riot” at dawn, a man with a baseball bat, and the ominous presence of ghosts that crawl from the walls. The song feels like a series of haunting vignettes, each one steeped in mystery and dread.
- “I Would Hurt A Fly” by Built to Spill
Built to Spill’s “I Would Hurt a Fly” combines dissonant guitar work and unsettling lyrics to create a slow-burn tension. The song’s menacing understone, paired with its reference to Psycho – where the narrator’s ominous declaration, “I’d hurt a fly,” echoes Normal Bates’ infamous line – invokes a creeping sense of dread. The track captures the fragile boundary between control and violence, with the subtle yet escalating aggression in the vocals adding to the unease. Its blend of atmospheric sound and psychological intensity feels like standing on the edge of something terrifying. I had the opportunity to see this song live in September and it’s just as heart pounding in person.
- “Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy” by Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu’s “Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy” is a chaotic fever dream that perfectly embodies the unsettling and surreal nature of Halloween. The erratic, glitchy electronics and unnerving vocals create a sense of dread, like a nightmarish children’s story. Lyrically, the song veers into absurdist horror, with grotesque imagery of pigs, glue, and family dysfunction that feels both grotesque and darkly humorous. The track’s unpredictable, disjointed structure makes it feel like a sonic haunted house, disorienting and ominous, taking you along for the ride.
ISABELLE’S RECS
- “Ghost Story” by Radiator Hospital
Classic indie rock band Radiator Hospital encapsulates the vibes of this fall in this song: yearning, pining, and angst. Move over Brat Summer, it’s time for Sad Girl Autumn. Spooky imagery and themes of unrequited love come together in this song to make an instant Halloween classic: “I ain’t a monster // I ain’t a vampire // So why won’t you let me in?”
- “October All Over” by Unwound
I discovered Unwound, a grungy post-hardcore originally from Olympia, while digging through the records at a Numero Group pop-up in LA. Numero Group, an archival record label, has signed a plethora of known and loved emo bands (e.g. The Lazarus Plot, Everyone Asked About You, Indian Summer, and more), so I was delighted to discover that this band perfectly matched the ethereal vibe of this year’s Halloween. “October All Over,” a hazy track off of their 2001 album Leaves Turn Inside You, is the perfect addition to your fall soundtrack.
- “October” by Bright Little Stars
If you’ve been looking to get into bedroom skramz (screamo music with twinkly electronic elements) this fall, Bright Little Stars is exactly what you need. While the aggressive vocals and dissonant sound might be too spooky for some this Halloween season, I think that this emotive genre is all too underappreciated, and that skramz truly encapsulates the range of emotion that youngsters are feeling.
- “I. Halloween 1994” by Billy Cobb
If you’re looking for a long, ambient track to listen to this Halloween, this is the song for you. A whopping 10 minutes long, this song opens with a variety of samples from nostalgic 1990s Halloween commercials (almost as if you are flipping through different channels on the TV), and then transitions into a beautiful slow-burn alt rock track. His entire EP (Halloween IV), functions almost as a saga — all about Halloween, of course.
- “Oct. 26, live in my garage (4/8/23)” by Widowdusk
Skramz Autumn continues with this song by arguably the most influential skramz band currently active — Widowdusk. This band has managed to help break skramz into the mainstream music scene, and this track shows how dedicated their listeners can get. This song opens with a crystal clear shout of “I LOVE YOU!!” from a fan in the audience, and when the breakdown begins, you can vividly hear all of the fans in the audience screaming along. I had the opportunity to interview this band on my show over the summer, and they were as much of a pleasure to speak to as they are to listen to.
JOYCE’S RECS
Maybe I just don’t listen to enough music…but I’ve never heard a song like this! It’s unique and incredibly atmospheric (and yes, haunting). All the layers and textures make it so that each listen, I catch something new. The lyrics are lush and poetic: “I have hands for building altars, lips that pray to reckless gods / I was made to be a devotee / His mangroves held me ‘til I died / My body’s relic left behind, to fossilize beneath the willow trees.” I just love this song a lot. If I made music, I would want it to sound like this.
ROSIE’S RECS
- “Freak-n-stien” by Blue Magic
A funky groove inspired by the spooky classic Frankenstein. Great for dancing 😀
- “Back from the Dead” by Bobby Byrd
Not totally spooky in terms of musical style, but a few halloween-y references in the lyrics. The song is a passionate funk number with a driving baseline accompanied by an upbeat horn section.
- “Freedom Death Dance” by Eugene McDaniels
This song (and entire album) is great for when you feel like the scariest thing is the world around you. McDaniels speaks truth to power in this experimental jazz/funk song.
DANI’S RECS
- “A Definition” by Horse Torso
A short, sub 1 minute long combination of scratchy humming vocals. The tones blend together to create an unsettling image, a premonition of what’s to come… Horse Torso loves to grapple with sounds that make the listeners ear uncomfortable, whether that’s jarring intervals on the guitar, or rhythms that make the listeners brain feel like that bowl of skinned grapes. If you’re looking for more Horse Torso, check out “Sorry Deconstructed” off of the same album!
- “Terminal Deity” by Cave In
This song is the most rollercoaster sounding song I have ever heard, I hope that makes sense. The beginning introduces you to the instrument tones without lyrics, switching from metal galloping techniques to a slower strum of chords. 45 seconds in, the coaster drops and introduces us into the next song section and after that the song rides the intensity to the end. Easily a favorite of mine, and I find this type of anger fits well with the gloomy October weather, no sun to smile for.
- “Words of Mouth” by Circuit Circuit
This felt like a necessity to include, as the beginning of this song samples a line from the first Scream movie. I also find that the singer of this band sounds a little like Matthew Lillard from the sample, so it sounds like Shaggy just decided to spit out his frustrations and I love that mental image. This song features some dissonant guitar screams which I cannot get enough of.
- “Gates of Hell” by Darren Korb
Composed for the first Hades game by SuperGiant studios, Darren Korb creates thick basslines, shaky percussion, and uncommon time signatures to paint the sonic elements of the underworld. While there is not a super “halloween-e” sound to this song, the outfits of the characters of Hades give me endless inspiration for potential costumes. Hades is my favorite game of all time, and part of that is just my love for the craft, the effort that went into creating such a solid indie game, and I think that’s also what I love about halloween. Seeing people’s costumes that they spent months thinking about, seeing others passionate enough to create whatever they want, and I think that’s beautiful! So hopefully this thesis is acceptable enough for why I think Gates of Hell is a halloween song.
TED COE’S RECS (KCSB Advisor)
- “Barbra” by Morricone Youth
Morricone Youth makes original music to accompany classic silent films & also contemporary Midnight Movies. This coming Saturday, October 26th, they will be performing this track, & more, from their “re-score” of George A. Romero’s groundbreaking “Zombie Apocalypse” film, Night of the Living Dead, here in Santa Barbara, in the outside courtyard at SBCAST (513 Garden St.). Doors at 6pm, show at 7. (Check out KCSB.org or our IG for more info!)
Made on a shoestring in 1968, Night was created by filmmakers, actors, artisans & amateurs from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, & it originally featured “library music” licensed for re-use in this influential B&W horror film. Because Night is in the public domain, NYC’s Morricone Youth can blend synth-heavy instrumentals (which evoke John Carpenter & Italian prog-rockers Goblin), plus retro vocalese, around the film’s main dialogue to create an eerier, more powerful mood of terror & despair. The eclectic Art Rockers have re-scored 15 films in all, & 7 have been pressed on vinyl. Well worth checking out, esp. this coming Halloween weekend!
- “Pumpkin Time” by The World/Inferno Friendship Society
The World/Inferno Friendship Society was a Hardcore Punk Cabaret Orchestra between 1994-2021, when founder / frontman “Jack Terricloth” (Peter Ventantonio, formerly of NJ Punk band Sticks And Stones) died at 50 of undiagnosed heart disease. A largely Anarchist collective of rotating players (many women), with horns & strings enhancing a rock lineup, & ties to The Hold Steady, Leftöver Crack, Balkan Beat Box, Dresden Dolls, Against Me!, Dexys Midnight Runners, plus more.
Celebrating “Hallowmas” yearly in NYC, World/Inferno F.S. fused vintage cosplay (esp. a ’30s era fashion sense: suits, gowns, mascara), allusions to Weimar Germany, subversive bacchanalia, anti-authoritarianism, leftist historical references, mutual aid, the masquerade, drinking, singalongs, audience participation, waltzing, stage diving, squatting, thieving (from the rich, natch), rioting, witchcraft, astral projection, balloons, theremin, marching bands, street parades, pyrotechnics, etc. Sole consistent member & WIFS founder “Cloth” would wear tinted contacts for Hallowmas & serve as event maestro, lovable rogue, devilish preacher: an icon of “Red Eyed Soul,” Jack Skellington in human form. Their retro postmodernism culminated just once a year with this tune, an invocation of The Great Pumpkin, of all things. “You have to rise me up!”
- “Red Cloud” by Head Cut
I’ve been thinking recently how much of the Real “Beach Goth” has come from here in the 805. A newer band, Ventura’s Head Cut, features Sasha Green & Seth Pettersen, a real-life couple who play together, in Garage Rock & Punk groups Vnlvx, Massenger, & Sweet Reaper, while Seth has also played solo & in Indie Psych-Surf band Franklin for Short. Mix in 2 Punk, Death Rock, & Post-Punk musicians (Detoxi, Catholic Spit, & Nardcore bands The Missing 23rd & Fucking Wrath), bassist Oscar Estrada & drummer John Crerar, with Seth on guitar & Sasha on vocals (with lyrics in English & Spanish), & we end up with a lithe & muscular, ethereal & angular, Goth-y Post-Punk quartet that I think will make big waves in ’25, a little Noir to offset all the Sunshine that spoils us, so much of the year. “Red Cloud” describes an hypnotic presence watching from within a grove. “Invisible hands around my throat / Squeezing my heart choking my soul.”