Tracy Morgan feat. Donald Glover - Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

This was written by the comedian Donald Glover, A.K.A. the rapper Childish Gambino. I’ve been meaning to get around to it for years, but I haven’t actually watched the popular comedy series 30 Rock (yet). I know enough about it to know this song is from it, though. In the diegesis of the show, Tracy Morgan’s character created this track as a Halloween novelty song. At first a small piece of it appeared it the show, but due to popular demand a full version was released online later. I heard this on The Todd Glass Show podcast, but it reminded me that I really need to get on watching 30 Rock… Happy Halloween!
Note: HD quality is available here!

Tracy Morgan feat. Donald Glover - Werewolf Bar Mitzvah:

Halsey - Haunting

This new artist is already making an impression in the mainstream. When I heard her current hit on the radio I thought she was Ellie Goulding at first, but in this song her voice doesn’t resemble hers much. I actually realized later that I had already heard a song of hers through a music video when I was clicking around on YouTube for new music. The first song I heard I didn’t care for much and didn’t investigate further, so it’s good that a different song was the one I heard on the radio because that one caught my attention and drove me to look up her album, where I found this moody track.
Note: Experience the haunting in HD!

Halsey - Haunting:

Nothing But Thieves - Graveyard Whistling

I fell in love with this song very recently. Just the sound of it is enough. The lyrics, in my interpretation, are encouraging you to stop subscribing to potentially harmful religion that’s holding you back from enjoying your life and taking advantage of it while you have it. Like whistling when you pass by a graveyard to prevent ghosts from following you, it claims that “if you don’t believe, it can’t hurt you”—if you don’t subscribe to a belief system that teaches you to be ashamed or fear damnation, you won’t fall victim to the psychological harm that belief system inflicts on its believers. I’m not sure which side of the fence the song is actually meant to fall on due to that pesky potential for tongue-in-cheek-ness. As this is my current song obsession, today I recommended this song to some apparent music aficionados and they were impressed, so I felt validated.
Note: I encourage you to take advantage of HD listening!

Nothing But Thieves - Graveyard Whistling:

Snow Ghosts - Gallows Strung

I like how the song has string instruments and is called Gallows Strung. Get it?! It reminds me of music by Dido. The whole track has an eerie vibe of foreboding to it that I really like. Perfect for the season! It paints a dark metaphor for love in the mind’s eye, but at least it’s a somewhat original one.
Note: It’s a dreamy, newer song, so it was uploaded in HD!

Snow Ghosts - Gallows Strung:

Kim Jaejoong - Mine

I don’t get what’s going on in this MV, but it’s pretty, if not more than a little cheesy. While most of K-pop is moving in the direction of hip hop, R&B, or sugary bubble gum pop, this boy band member is apparently using his opportunity as a solo artist to put out some music that takes the less popular route of rock. I am totally fine with that. I for one am pleased with that direction. I’m actually struck by how Japanese this song and video are—the visuals look like something I’d be much more likely to see in a Japanese visual-kei MV, some moments of the vocals stood out to me as especially Japanese-singing-style-sounding, and the fact that it’s rock in itself is enough to make it seem Japanese-influenced. This artist is a member of JYJ, and a former member of DBSK.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD!

Kim Jaejoong A.K.A. 김재중 - Mine:

Digital Daggers - Still Here

Those strings really flesh out what would otherwise be a very static song. Plus, how cool is the artwork? I was planning to post a different song for today, but I couldn’t find a decent quality upload of it anymore. This ain’t a bad substitute. I found this artist through YouTube surfing, but it seems they're a popular choice for TV show soundtracks.
Note: HD quality is available once again!

Digital Daggers - Still Here:

Matthew Perryman Jones - Canción de la Noche

This artist’s placement in Nashville almost places him squarely in the category of country music singer-songwriter, and many elements of that genre are present in his work, but he makes a rather unconventional country artist, listing some of his influences as Vincent van Gogh, Rumi, and Federico Garcia Lorca.
Note: HD quality is here and recommended!

Matthew Perryman Jones - Canción de la Noche [Song of the Night]:

The Nearly Deads - Never Look Back

On Facebook some time ago, one of my FB friends asked for examples of female-fronted rock bands and people posted their suggestions in the comments. This, I believe, was among the suggestions that I took note of and looked up later.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD, and included for its Halloween relevance!

 The Nearly Deads - Never Look Back:

JJ Lin - 殺手

I knew this song back around when it first was released, and later saw the music video, but it wasn’t until years afterward that my friend told me this song’s music video stirred up the public in Taiwan, where this artist’s popularity is centered. He had cultivated a wholesome, nice guy image, so the macabre portrayal of him as a stalker and murderer who pins human body parts on his wall jarred people.

JJ Lin A.K.A. 林俊傑 - 殺手 [Sha Shou - The Killer]:

Here’s the official music video:

Kyla La Grange - Cut Your Teeth

This artist is a recent discovery for me. This is my favorite of the admittedly small handful of songs I’ve heard by her, but she does seem to have an inclination toward mildly spooky music videos like this one. Now I'm having trouble un-sticking the chorus from in my head.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD!

Kyla La Grange - Cut Your Teeth:

Maître Gims - Zombie

Another genre change! Now it’s time for a tortured pop/R&B song. A while ago I found a song or two by this artist, but didn’t like them as much as this one. I came across this song by YouTube surfing for French music very recently, and by coincidence only days after I saw it recommended in the YouTube comments of a completely different type of video. I guess it’s meant to be!
Note: HD quality audio here!

Maître Gims - Zombie:

Spica - 마녀의 일기

For the sake of variety, let’s get an upbeat song in here… At first this song was too bubbly for me, but I stuck with listening through to the end and came to appreciate it more because I like the singers’ voices and the production. This song is stylistically very similar to Halloweeny songs by female K-pop artists that I’ve posted in years past, namely Narsha’s “Bbi Ri Bba Bba” and Lee Jung Hyun’s “V,” with the whole enthusiastic, dancey, girly-but-evil vibe. For better or worse, K-pop is not afraid to be cheesy.
Note: It’s K-pop, so it’s uploaded in HD quality!

Spica - 마녀의 일기 [Manyeo’eui Ilgi - Witch’s Diary]:

MUCC - 赤い空

This artist has long been neglected on this music blog… It’s a shame, because they’ve released so much music and I have so much of it. They have a style all their own, one which is evolving, but this is from one of their earlier releases when their music had a darker sound to it than it does today.

MUCC - 赤い空 [Akai Sora - Red Sky]:

Abi Wade - Hope

Oooh, atmospheric! Evidently a lot of people found out about this song through the show Banshee. I’ve never seen that show, though, and I heard it through Shameless (and then forgot about it) and then found it again through YouTube surfing.

Abi Wade - Hope:

Gravenhurst - Fritzrovia

I heard this song in a TV show (can’t remember which one—although now that I’m thinking about it, it might have been an Irish soap opera) and even though I only heard a small piece of what ended up being a relatively long track, I knew I had to have it. The vocals don’t really do it for me, but man, the instrumental sets a tone! In researching a bit more information about the artist, I came to learn he died a little less than a year ago, so R.I.P. to him.
Note: Woo, HD!

Gravenhurst - Fritzrovia:

Indila - Tourner Dans Le Vide

I found this French artist way too late. She has a sacred voice! I certainly intend to look into more of her music than I already have. Two of my favorite styles of music, I’ve found over the years, are contemporary French R&B, and raï. And here is an artist who combines both!
Note: This is the official MV with HD quality!

Indila - Tourner Dans Le Vide [Spin in the Void]:

Joseph William Morgan feat. Shadow Royale - What a Wonderful World

I heard this cover of Louis Armstrong’s famous song in a fanvideo for the popular cartoon series The Legend of Korra that my friend sent me. It’s all spooky n’ shiz. You can watch the fanvideo here. Evidently the song was used in or to promote the video game Dragon Age: Inquisition, though, which is probably how a lot of people heard it. Nice to see lesser-known/virtually undiscovered artists having their music selected to promote something with high level exposure!
Note: This has HD, thankfully!

Joseph William Morgan feat. Shadow Royale - What a Wonderful World:

Do As Infinity - 遠くまで

Believe it or not, this song is from a horror movie. Although this track doesn’t sound particularly scary or even downtempo, it’s the ending theme of the anime horror movie Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, which I watched recently (after YEARS of searching for it). I was surprised when this song started playing as the credits began to roll, because 1. I had no idea this artist, with whom I was already familiar through a handful of their songs, made one for the movie and 2. I recognized the song and apparently already knew it somehow. It escaped me that the band made the ending theme to this movie I’d been on a quest to watch for ages, and my best guess as to how I knew the song is that back when I regularly scouted mp3 rotation sites I took advantage of this track being posted on one of them.

 Do As Infinity - 遠くまで [Tooku Made - Far Away]:

VIXX - 저주인형

This actual K-pop video made me LOL at how violent it is. Unsurprisingly, the artist ended up having to shoot a second version of the video that’s not so disgusting. I think this one is so stylish though. If you have a hard time with fake violence or gore you probably want to skip this one. I’ve heard by K-pop reviewers that this boy band is underrated, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s true. I’ve also heard that a lot of their MVs have a dark element to them, which is a bit unusual in the K-pop landscape.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD audio and gory visual!

VIXX - 저주인형 [Jeoju’inhyeong - Voodoo Doll]:



For the faint of heart, here’s the alternate music video, which has more dancing and less mutilation:

Anne Müller - Walzer Für Robert

The cello casts such a spell, and whosoever wields it wields much power indeed. This waltzy piece is a shining example of that. I think I found this artist simply through YouTube surfing. By the end of the track, it takes on a bit of a spooky element.
Note: Yay, HD quality again!

Anne Müller - Walzer Für Robert [Waltz for Robert]:

Simon Curtis - The Dark 2: Return to the Dark

Who’d have thought you’d get a dance song for the Halloween theme? But here it is! This artist specializes in poppy dance music, but with an aggressive edge. I guess for this song, that aggression was channeled into some sort of demonic motif. It also acknowledges and takes advantage of the verses’ structural similarity to those of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” (another pop dance music favorite of mine) by including a lyrical nod to the hit.
Note: The upload has HD!

Simon Curtis - The Dark 2: Return to the Dark:

Lorde - Everybody Wants to Rule the World

This is a cover of the 80s hit by Tears for Fears, but with a dark twist. It’s from the soundtrack of a movie I’ve never seen, Dracula Untold. I quite like how this cover puts an ominous spin on the upbeat dance track, because the lyrics seem telling of some rather depressing themes and a sonic acknowledgement of that is in order.
Note: Delicious HD available!

Lorde - Everybody Wants to Rule the World:

Kaoru Wada - Kikyou's Theme

OK, first of all, I LOVE the character Kikyou, from the manga/anime Inu Yasha. Everyone else hated her, but she was my favorite character. I have a thing for tragic, beautiful, strong characters, and this theme music for the character is tragic, beautiful, and strong to match.

Kaoru Wada A.K.A. 和田 薫 - Kikyou's Theme:

The Birthday Massacre - Superstition

I came across this artist on YouTube somehow. I’m not that into their music, but this band has exactly the style that would appeal to one of my friends. I’m not sure why it’s one of my favorites of what I’ve heard by them, since it’s so static.
Note: HD quality is to be found heah!

The Birthday Massacre - Superstition:

Eisbrecher - Dornentanz

This German artist is a band that includes two former members of the band Megaherz, and to be honest I can’t really tell the difference between the two projects’ music. That probably has something to do with the fact that the Megaherz music I’m familiar with happens to be what they produced during the years when the aforementioned two members were active in Megaherz. Both bands’ songs (at least from the era I heard them) had an ominous sound to them, much like this track, even though it’s apparently… a love song of sorts?

 Eisbrecher - Dornentanz [Thorn Dance]:

London Grammar - Hey Now

Beeeeeeeeautiful. This is the opening to track to this artist’s excellent album If You Wait, and it completely sets the tone. I didn’t realize it was chosen as a single, but I’m glad it was. The video’s pretty cool and ghosty folklore-inspired. I like how her voice quality is kinda atypical.
Note: This official music video has HD!

London Grammar - Hey Now:

Buck-Tick - ドレス

Ooooh, this is the oldest (I think) song I’ve posted by this artist who’s still going, from all the way back in 1993. Evidently it was pretty popular at the time, too. They clearly cultivated a dark, gothy aesthetic back then that they’ve kept up to this day.
Note: Despite the song’s age, it’s available in HD quality!

Buck-Tick - ドレス [Doresu - Dress]:

Kaitlin Riegel - Silhouettes

It’s another song I heard on the US version of Shameless! It was at this point (the point at which I heard this song in the show, I mean) that I thought, “This show has an unexpectedly good soundtrack. Whoever’s in charge of finding and picking the music for it, well done.” I hadn’t heard of this artist before then, but it led me to look up more by her.
Note: Another with an HD quality upload!

Kaitlin Riegel - Silhouettes:

The Hat feat. Father John Misty & S.I. Istwa - Angry River

I recently finished season 1 of True Detective, and this song was used for the season finale ending theme. So many good finale songs… I haven’t heard of any of these artists, but I like the end product they created. Another track with a haunting sound! Also befitting of the series setting, the song has a southern sound to it.
Note: HD is available!

The Hat feat. Father John Misty & S.I. Istwa - Angry River:

Siouxsie Sioux & Brian Reitzell - Love Crime

This song was written for the dramatic series finale of the horror TV show Hannibal. The show’s creator was a fan of this artist and asked her to make a song in collaboration with the show’s own composer to be featured on the show, and behold, this track was born. Makes sense then that it’s so fitting for the series, and especially its ending scene for which this song was used! Its haunting tone and pulsating beat makes for contextual perfection and added to an already impressive scene.
Note: High quality audio for a high quality song!

Siouxsie Sioux & Brian Reitzell - Love Crime:

Jason Derulo - Cheyenne

Look how mainstream I’m being! I heard this song in a shop and wanted to Shazam it, only to realize I forgot to bring my phone. Anyway, I thought it was catchy and vaguely Michael Jackson-ish. The music video plays up this angle with some stylistic choices and dance moves so I guess this influence didn’t go unnoticed.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD! I’m using it ‘cause it fits the theme of this month while the song by itself doesn’t really.

Jason Derulo - Cheyenne: