Album #1: Stay Sick! by The Cramps
Favorite Song: “The Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon”
Notes: My favorite album on this list, Stay Sick!, is a rockabilly and garage punk fusion that was released back in 1990. Everything about this album is just personally perfect for me, as The Cramps combines amazing instrumentals with these awesome Elvis-inspired vocals, which creates such a cool album. The most famous song on this album, and my personal favorite song of theirs, is “The Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon,” which obviously draws inspiration from the classic horror icon, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, which makes this song perfect for the Halloween season! I rate this album a perfect ten out of ten and recommend it to anyone who enjoys rock/punk music.
Album #2: Famous Monsters by Misfits
Favorite Song: “Witch Hunt”
Notes: Famous Monsters by Misfits, released in October 1999, is a very Halloween-inspired album with song titles such as “Witch Hunt,” “Pumpkin Head,” “Scarecrow Man,” and many more in the same vein. This album has to be my least favorite of the three, but that doesn’t mean I dislike it at all. It’s a very good album; it just didn’t have the same effect and charm that the other two had. Personally, I found many of the songs to sound the same, which caused them to blend together and become unmemorable for me. I do enjoy some of the songs on this album, and I will definitely relisten to the ones I liked, but not nearly as often as the other two.
Album #3: Dead Man’s Bones by Dead Man’s Bones
Favorite Song: “Pa Pa Power”
Notes: Dead Man’s Bones is a rock duo consisting of Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling. Yes, that is the Ryan Gosling known for his leading male roles in films such as Barbie, The Notebook, La La Land, and many other well known and loved films. I actually discovered this band through their most famous song, “In The Room Where You Sleep,” which was played in one of my all-time favorite movies, The Conjuring. I’ve been planning on listening to this album in full for a while now, but specifically waited so I could include it to the Halloween edition of this series. The dark folk vibe you get from this album is just perfect for the autumn season, and it truly puts you in the mood for Halloween. I mean, the album cover even showcases a kids’ choir in their Halloween costumes! I do wish that Dead Man’s Bones would come out with more music, though that doesn’t seem likely, as this is the only thing in their discography, and it came out way back in 2009. That being said, I absolutely adore this album, and will always come back to it during the fall season!