Every year someone somewhere releases an album full of Christmas songs, this year even Bob Dylan has taken his turn. Halloween, however, does not inspire such jovial re-imaginings of traditional songs, mainly because there aren’t really any. Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields, who make up Dead Man’s Bones, have provided us with a whole album filled with zombies, ghosts and dead bodies ideal for the occasion, with considerable help from The Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir. Just don’t expect them all to sound like “Monster Mash.”
The album opens with a monologue about leaving behind the memories of a dead lover. This sounds somewhat cringeworthy, but considering it was originally written for a play, the premise is not as trite as it could have been. “Dead Hearts” kicks off the music on the album in a much more serious manner than what may have been expected; Gosling sings in hushed tones over a sparse acoustic guitar, taking on the role of a buried corpse musing over the loved ones he left behind, all the while a muffled heartbeat is constantly beating on the other side of an imaginary wall. Midway through the song swells as crunching glass, drums and piano create a stirring crescendo, before the song settles once more to focus around Gosling’s eerie voice. This is a truly haunting opening gambit and instantly wipes away any preconceptions about this being a mere novelty album.
The following song “In the Room Where You Sleep” paints a more straightforward depiction of horror; featuring a Dracula-style keyboard tune played over thumping drums and a simple chorus of “you better run, you better hide” sung in an almost comical, deep, monstrous tone. It’s a catchy number that evokes a cartoon horror in the vein of Scooby Doo, and is a precursor for what’s to come on the album.
The tone is switched back to a more serious one with “Buried In Water,” which is also the first appearance of the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir. The youthful voices are surprisingly effective; they sound disturbingly cold juxtaposed here with Gosling’s theatrical vocals in this song about drowning.
From here on out the songs, for the most part, focus on more fun aspects of the supernatural. “My Body’s a Zombie For You” is a twisted love song about a hopeless corpse’s attempts at love, which features backing vocals once again from the children’s choir but this time they sound cute rather than scary, and they are obviously having a great time singing it. It ends up sounding surprisingly similar to something Arcade Fire could have written (it’s not the only song for which this could be said), and is a triumphant anthem ideal for Halloween.
The album treads a careful line between melodramatic, fun and puerile, getting the mix just about right most of the time. The song “Young and Tragic” is one case where the album becomes a bit too childish, with the children singing “I wish we were be magic, so we wouldn’t be so young and tragic,” unaccompanied by any other vocals this time. It sounds as though it’s taken from an elementary school play that you would only force yourself to see if your own son or daughter happened to be in it, otherwise you’d avoid it like the plague.
Dead Man’s Bones is the product of two men who have been obsessed with ghost stories since their childhood expressing their inner youthfulness through the medium of music. Fortunately they have not only talent for creating spooky imagery but also have a considerable ability for writing a tune. This album is full of songs that may seem ridiculous on first listen, but they are infectious, entertaining and have a surprising depth to their sound. Their decision not to use electric guitar and their incorporation of creaking doors, footsteps and other noises has paid off handsomely. This album is ideal for Halloween and it deserves attention, even if it is only for one night a year.
