K-Pop Halloween: Day Four

In the infancy of this blog, I used to post a lot of Halloween-themed songs during the month of October. After a few years, that feature started to dwindle a bit. After all, there are only so many Halloween songs out there! But, to better reflect the changing tastes of the blog, I thought it would be fun to feature some Halloween-related tracks from Korea (and maybe one from Japan). Halloween isn't big in Korea, but I like to think these horror-themed songs could stand right alongside Thriller or Monster Mash!

Donghae and Eunhyuk - Skeleton
Every Halloween needs a ridiculous party song, right? Skeleton is exactly that (+ some added ridiculousness), but make sure to also take a listen to Scary House from the same mini album.



Tatsuya Ueda - Monster Night
More of a monster-themed story vignette than an actual song, this solo track by Kat-Tun member Ueda is bursting with mischievous sound effects and voice overs. It's pretty bizarre, and really solely suited for Halloween time.

K-Pop Halloween: Day Three

In the infancy of this blog, I used to post a lot of Halloween-themed songs during the month of October. After a few years, that feature started to dwindle a bit. After all, there are only so many Halloween songs out there! But, to better reflect the changing tastes of the blog, I thought it would be fun to feature some Halloween-related tracks from Korea (and maybe one from Japan). Halloween isn't big in Korea, but I like to think these horror-themed songs could stand right alongside Thriller or Monster Mash!

Shinee - Nightmare
Shinee's Misconceptions of Me has several tracks that would fit the season, but this opener hits all the right notes with its dark, synth beat and slinky chorus.



Park Jung Min - Devil
Jung Min's 2012 album Midnight Theatre is almost a Halloween album unto itself, especially when he integrates a dramatic church organ so completely into the dance beat.

K-Pop Halloween: Day Two

In the infancy of this blog, I used to post a lot of Halloween-themed songs during the month of October. After a few years, that feature started to dwindle a bit. After all, there are only so many Halloween songs out there! But, to better reflect the changing tastes of the blog, I thought it would be fun to feature some Halloween-related tracks from Korea (and maybe one from Japan). Halloween isn't big in Korea, but I like to think these horror-themed songs could stand right alongside Thriller or Monster Mash!

VIXX - Voodoo Doll
Many of Vixx's title tracks are suitable for Halloween, since they basically made their name on edgy horror-themed images and intense tracks. This is probably the creepiest, with its bloody video and dark atmosphere, but make sure you check out Hyde too.



EXO - Wolf
Certainly not their best single, and definitely the cheesiest, but the gargantuan hooks and insistent wolf howls make this perfect for a Halloween party.

K-Pop Halloween: Day One

In the infancy of this blog, I used to post a lot of Halloween-themed songs during the month of October. After a few years, that feature started to dwindle a bit. After all, there are only so many Halloween songs out there! But, to better reflect the changing tastes of the blog, I thought it would be fun to feature some Halloween-related tracks from Korea (and maybe one from Japan). Halloween isn't big in Korea, but I like to think these horror-themed songs could stand right alongside Thriller or Monster Mash!

Infinite - Monster Time
The kings of K-Pop release a monstrous dance track to accompany a kid's cartoon about "telemonsters" (whatever that is). The English is delightfully off-kilter, but there's no denying that beat.



f(x) - Dracula
You just can't beat a bloodcurdling scream used as part of the rhythm of a song. One of my favorite f(x) tracks, this would go down as a nice aural compliment to Backstreet Boys' Everybody (Backstreet's Back).

Halloween Junky Orchestra - Halloween Party

Not going to say much today except that it's time to lose nearly eight minutes of your life to Halloween grandeur! The big day may still be a week away, but I know that I, for one, need to up my spook factor. Despite being released a few years ago, I just discovered this amazing Japanese Halloween track from the awesomely titled collaboration project Halloween Junky Orchestra. The video is pretty hypnotic and addicting, despite not changing much throughout its running time. The song itself is a wonderfully oddball mix of English, Japanese, carnival, hard rock and theatricality. You'll have a hard time pulling yourself away.

Happy Halloween!

In the unlikely case that you haven't experienced the majesty of Tim Curry and his special effects, this is the year your life will be changed. You know you want it. It's the day your dentist turns into a queen, your dog turns into a cat, a gremlin messes up every cassette and you FINALLY FIND YOUR TAMBOURINE!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Tim Curry - Anything Can Happen On Halloween

Well, it is an Alienhits tradition (and never ceases to bring a smile to my face!)

Back to normal posts tomorrow. For now, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween Hit: Stormby - A Nightmare on Elm Street (Halloween 2012 Dance Mix)

"Freddy's coming for you"

Looking for a nice dance medley with a bunch of Halloween movie clips for tomorrow? Well, look no further than this. Remixer extraordinaire Stormby mixes up a witch's brew of spooky sounds, blockbusting beats and swirling synths. All that and some inspired clips from A Nightmare on Elm Street. It's all just perfect for Halloween. Download for free via the soundcloud link below!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Listen to more Stormby here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Halloween Hit: Toto Coelo - Dracula's Tango

"Dracula, I'm a sucker for your love"

Any Halloween track that opens with a creaking door is okay with me. This was the follow-up to Toto Coelo's only big hit, I Eat Cannibals. It did little on the charts, but for a kitschy holiday track, it's kind of brilliant. I love this kind of overdramatic, uber-poppy novelty stuff. I'm all for your Monster Mashes and Thrillers, but add this to you Halloween mix this year and really impress your friends with your knowledge of obscure pop music!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the track here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Halloween Hit: Repo! - Chase The Morning

"It's too late for me"

Repo! The Genetic Opera is one bonkers movie musical. It's certainly not for everybody and it really is a schlocky, though ambitiously so, film. None of the songs really make as much sense out of the context of the story, but the package as a whole is a great choice for this time of year. One of the film's biggest coups was getting Sarah Brightman to take on the role of sightless opera singer Blind Mag. Not everyone involved with the project had an amazing singing voice (ie: Paris Hilton), so Sarah's songs are obviously some of the best. Chase The Morning features some of her beautiful operatic vocals in the hook, surrounded by ambient techno-goth speak-singing. If it sounds weird, that's because it is.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Halloween Hit: Nightwish - Scaretale

"Restless souls will put on their dancing shoes"

For the next few Fridays, I'm going to share some songs that I think would be perfect for Halloween. After all, it's an Alienhits tradition. To be honest, I feel like Halloween is really sneaking up on me this year. I still haven't carved a pumpkin, I've only had a couple pieces of candy corn, and there hasn't been a corn maze or harvest festival in sight. What am I doing?? At least this song, from Nightwish's most recent (awesome) album, puts me in the creepy Halloween mood. Scaretale is seven plus minutes of perfectly atmospheric, Tim Burton-esque magic. I can't think of a better song to soundtrack a visit to the haunted house of your choice.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Anything Can Happen On Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!!

If you're a longtime reader, you know what I'm going to post today. It's tradition, after all. And it's the best Halloween video EVER.



I can't even count the number of ways this is epic.

Halloween Post: "The Corn Stalker"

No music post today, but I've got something very cool for you to check out! In honor of Halloween, a bunch of great YA authors (including yours truly) have written a choose your own adventure type story that's being featured across a number of blogs these next few days.

I was in charge of starting the story, and you can read the beginning here. Then choose where to go next and see if you live or die. Plus, there are tons of prizes available throughout the story!

So check it out! It's called "The Corn Stalker" (see what I did there?) and it's pretty fantastic.

Part One Here

Foxy Shazam - Teenage Demon Baby

"It's funny how this old dead piece of land makes us feel so alive"

Another Friday, another Halloween song. Today it's a b-side from Foxy Shazam's most recent album, a deliriously fun track with a great title. But it's definitely more than the title. Foxy have managed to combine elements of Meat Loaf, Rocky Horror Picture Show and power pop in one tight, uber-catchy pop song. And it didn't even make the album! While the lyrics are not necessarily tailored to Halloween, the energy and hook make it very appropriate for October. What a great song to get a party started! Of course, that could be said about most Foxy tracks...



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Short Stack - Are You Afraid Of The Dark

"Lips like a vampire"

When I first started this blog, I'd spend the entire month of October sharing Halloween songs. I want to revisit that a little this year and post a few here and there for the next few weeks. Short Stack's 2010 album, Welcome To Bat Country, is a great listen all the way through for Halloween, and this is one of the many highlights. It's an enormous song with one hell of a punchy chorus. Plus, the middle eight with its stabbing strings and processed, Nightmare Before Christmas-esque vocals, is perfect for this time of the year. Listening to this song again has made me fall in love with it all over.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Anything Can Happen On Halloween

Since this will be my last post until Halloween, I'm going to carry on an old Alienhits tradition by posting Tim Curry's immortal performance of Anything Can Happen On Halloween (from the equally ridiculous 80's version of The Worst Witch). There's no way you can watch this without laughing your ass off at the sheer campiness. Here it is, presented in video and audio formats for your viewing/listening pleasure. Happy Halloween!!



Tim Curry - Anything Can Happen On Halloween by alienhits