Uly halloween ‘23
Ghosts, ghouls and zombies are scary, but not as scary as a bad Halloween playlist. For the past few years, I have heard my fair share of playlists designed to evoke the spooky vibes of late October. What I noticed is that most of them make one of two fatal mistakes. Either the playlist is kitschy (even though monster mash is a great song, hearing it 500 times kind of sucks) or only tangentially “spooky”. On this Ulysses playlist, I have partnered with Emerson to create a playlist that is different. We decided to spin a spooky Halloween tale while also including songs that just fit the season. So grab a piece of candy, turn the lights down, do a seance, find out that your dead grandmother actually kind of hated you via Ouija, and enjoy our Ulysses Halloween playlist.
We start off with “Ima Killer” by Harley Poe. This is the song that sets the stage for who our antagonist is in this horrifying tale. Our villain is a man consumed by passion, his mind corrupted by a failed love and a person who’s carnal desires continue to burn even though the love he has has ended. Sonically, this is a great introduction to the playlist. It is acoustic and soft, but the chord progression suggests tension and the vocals are bitter, remorseless and biting. Contrast this with our main protagonist in this horrifying tale. No Doubt’s “I’m Just A Girl”. While our villain is consumed by lust, he is not the victim. Our heroine has been living under his thumb for the duration of the relationship, subject to misogyny and a constant denial of her needs. She is justified in leaving him, and the music reflects both the bitterness and relief of leaving him. The electric guitar is percussive and the sweet, syrupy vocals deliver a message: I’m not yours anymore.
Moving into the middle of our story, we find that our villain has become more consumed by his regret and passion. What sends him over the edge, however, is when he hears about what his ex-lover has been doing in “Hayloft” by Mother Mother. He hears that his old beaux has found comfort in the arms of another, performing a rendezvous in a barn outside of town. Ironically, his thought process can be found in the song “Cowboys” by Portishead, a dark, brooding and eerie trip hop track. He feels like something has been taken from him, even in spite of the evidence suggesting his own oppressive behavior in the relationship. While our heroine is beginning to find love in the arms of another on “Atomic” by Blondie, his thoughts spiral. The upbeat dance track “Puppets”, a classic from English nu-wave electronic outfit Depeche Mode, begins to lay bare how much he desires to be in control. The peppy beat and bouncy synth creates an atmosphere of both energy and darkness that reflects his inner thoughts. Eventually this spiral comes to a crescendo in “Change in the House of Flies”. The Deftones song is sludgy, seedy, desperate and cold. He has decided that he can no longer contain himself, he must act.
Our final act opens with “Last of the American Girls” by Green Day. We find our protagonist comfortable in her daily routine. She has moved on from her hayloft fling and is comfortable in her solitude, not needing another to find happiness. That is, until she finds a threatening letter telling her of her demise. It was her old significant other, and from the cut-and-paste text she is able to read “you are a natural disaster”. She knows that her ex is insane and will come for her, so she waits, hoping to defend herself against an attack she knows is coming. In “Talk Show Host”, a criminally underrated Radiohead track we hear a guitar part that is isolating, cold and disconnected. She waits, “gun and a pack of sandwiches”, waiting for him to “come on and break the door down”. Then it happens. In “Lunatic” by UPSAHL, our murderer finds his victim. This song is ironically perfect for him. He feels insane, driven to madness by an evil within him. Her side of the tale is also presented, with her wanting to remind him, physically, that he has no power over her. His madness, however, is complete. The first note of the final track plays, with rimshots on the snare, 1970’s synth, and a dark, dark soundscape. The news has gotten out. Bella Lugosi’s Dead.
Tracks to Look For: Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine Closer - Nine Inch Nails Spiderhead - Cage the Elephant