For Halloween, two of our writers wanted to take the time to share some Halloween songs that they love the most.
A Warm Place by Nine Inch Nails – George Fleisher
On their 1994 album The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails gave us some of their biggest hits, such as Closer, Mr.Self Destruct, and Eraser. A more overlooked track on the album, A Warm Place, brings a dark, ambient, more calming moment to an otherwise chaotic and stimulating album listening experience. The track’s droning synths create a soundscape evoking the ride home from a Halloween party or a comedown of an illicit substance. Trent Reznor has experience with soundtracks to films such as The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tron: Ares, and more. You can hear these influences in the track, which almost acts as an interlude in the larger context of the album. The song features an interpolation of Crystal Japan by David Bowie, everyone’s biggest influence. The Halloween themes are strong throughout this whole album, but this song in particular, due to its melancholy drawl.
– George Fleisher, Staff Writer
Horror Head by Curve and Alan Moulder – Vince Pascual
Our love for Halloween can largely be described as “contrasting.” As children, Halloween was infatuating for many reasons, from trick-or-treating to dressing up with friends to staying up late watching horror movies; there was always so much to do. Nevertheless, the holiday is two-faced.
After the late festivities have ended, the walk back home from a friend’s house or another neighborhood always felt eerie. The decorations stare and loom in your direction, street lamps become the only protection against the encompassing darkness, and the horror movie you just saw instills paranoia with every turn.
In the single “Horror Head” by UK duo Curve, the song embodies the juxtaposing love for Halloween perfectly. Released on July 9, 1992, and produced by Alan Moulder, the song uses two contrasting genres, shoegaze and electronic, to create something haunting. The song is primarily played in the key of B-flat major, which is supposed to elicit warmth. However, the track is eerie and dark, yet also heavily alluring. The song begins with a strong repeating bassline from guitarist Dean Garcia, accompanied by the wistful yet rich vocals of lead Toni Halliday.
As the song progresses toward the bridge, the bass fades in and out, sharing its presence with an electric guitar crying out “electronically-whiny” runs as the vocals wax and wane in the background. Additionally, heavy synths, industrial rhythms, and ambient textures fill the track’s negative space. These elements highlight its mysterious yet captivating nature whilst unveiling its electronic dimensions.
Despite differing genres and accompanying sounds, the genres don’t clash. Instead, they fuse into a masterpiece, perfectly encapsulating our contrasting love for the season of Halloween. On one hand, the season is joyous, upbeat, and fun, much like electronic music; but as day fades to night, Halloween takes a different form. Something spooky and almost spectral. The beauty lies in combining the two, which is the exact purpose of “Horror Head”; the balance of two differing genres and emotions comes together to create the perfect song to play on Halloween.
– Vince Pascual, Staff Writer
