Have a 6-pack of Creepy for Halloween

So, it's Halloween, and with it come all the costumes, the trick-or-treating, the "scariness". It's a payday like no other for candy manufacturers and egg farmers, and we all love it. How can you diss a holiday that's all about gorging yourself on sweets, dressing up like your wildest fantasy and being a total creep? It's a day during which you're actually encouraged to scare people; try it on May 12 and you're meeting Mr. Pepper Spray; tonight, you get laughs. Fantastic.

I thought it only appropos to post up a handful of the creepiest songs and/or videos known to man (well, to me) and do my best to send shivers up your spine using only the power of music and the suggestion that you play these songs while thinking about the truly depraved amongst us; the living demons with devious intentions, sitting in the bushes across the street and watching you through binoculars as you're reading this RIGHT NOW.

Radiohead: Climbing Up the Walls

I couldn't start this list any other way, because it's my belief that "Climbing Up the Walls" by Radiohead is the creepiest song ever written. With its eerie noises, dirgy rhythm and heavy stalker overtones in its lyrics, This is the sound of Radiohead out-"Creep"ing themselves. Sorry for the AMV, no official one exists. Then again, if it did, it would probably keep me up until 2019.

Massive Attack: Teardrop

The song boasts a semi-sinister groove on its own, but the video is Dante's Seventh Circle of Creepy.

Sarah McLachlan: Possession

Whaaaaaaa? Sarah McLachlan creepy? Hells yes. Written from the perspective of a stalker, the lyrics to Possession read like a handcrafted manifesto made with cut-out letters and faces from fashion magazines (with the eyes crossed out, of course). The narrator pretty much makes it clear his/her intentions are to kill the target of the song. Given it's all being cooed by the normally unassuming Sarah McLachlan, the song is shockingly hardcore, like hearing your grandmother talk about the time she was spitroasted in the alley behind an Olive Garden for $5 and three tabs of mescaline.

MGMT: Kids

Nothing creepy about this song, but the video is an overflowing bucket of scary/creepy/WHY ARE THEY PUTTING THIS CHILD THROUGH SUCH AN AWFUL EXPERIENCE?

Tool: Prison Sex

When it comes to creepy subjects, it's kind of hard to top pedophilia. That the imagery in its video syncs up with the subject matter, it's kind of hard to believe music video stations gave it a spin.

Aphex Twin: Come to Daddy

I'd be remiss in a list of scary/creepy by not including this clip by Aphex Twin, by now surely infamous for its status as one of the scariest videos ever made. Eat it, Thriller. Also, Mike Patton covered it with Dillinger Escape Plan, which adds a whole new layer of WTF to the proceedings.

Have a good night. And don't forget, Year in Rock 2011 starts tomorrow.

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up! What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...

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