Ready to get a little weird? Halloween is coming up, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably at least a little bit of a music snob or audiophile. No run-of-the-mill Halloween sound effects album will do on October 31. So, we’ve put together a list of just a few creepy albums that are both spooky and incredibly solid pieces of work. Let’s take a look, shall we?
1. ‘Grey Oceans’ by CocoRosie
The Casady sisters of CocoRosie are known for their unreal voices, and those somewhat uneasy-sounding voices are at front and center on the 2010 album Grey Oceans. It’s a very baroque album with a sinister, haunting vibe to it. This album’s subject matter and instrumentation, in addition to its unreal vocal tracks, will sit in your soul for a while after that first listen.
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2. ‘L’Autopsie Phénoménale De Dieu’ by Kreng
It’s hard to explain who Kreng (a.k.a. Pepjin Caudron) is, just as it is difficult to explain why this particular collection of songs from 2009 is creepy. There’s an “evil” sort of vibe to it, but it’s hard to place why.
There’s a darkness to L’Autopsie Phénoménale De Dieu, complete with samples of a woman crying and dissonant bells and piano keys. It’s a little jazzy yet very unsettling. The artist in question is known for his work in horror films, so this particular release does make a lot of sense. It’s brilliant, honestly.
3. ‘Sound Characters’ by Maryanne Amacher
When it comes to creepy albums, Maryanne Amacher’s work is so far beyond just odd. She was an incredible composer and artist, and one of her best works was Sound Characters from 1999. Her work was very much physical; much of her music involved sounds that the human ear could physically create, and the overall physicality of sound.
With Sound Characters, Amacher likely didn’t intend to create something as anxiety-inducing as this album is. She did, however, intend for the listener to have a physical experience when listening to this collection of songs. That’s why she rarely released albums in the traditional sense and opted for art installations that gave her full control over the volume and perception of her music. If you’re looking for something that will make you feel weird, Sound Characters is worth experiencing at least once.
4. ‘Alternation’ by Excepter
This experimental psychedelic noise group can’t be simply defined as “creepy”. They are much more than that. However, Alternation from 2006 would be creepy to even the most open-minded audiophile. “Ice Cream Van” is particularly unnerving.
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