Zombie Music: Aaron Stoquert

I posted about Aaron Stoquert last year about his zombie EP, Run for Your Life. This year (well it was really late last year), he has come out with a full length album called Remaining Days and it's about zombies and the apocalypse!! I am so excited about this album. The style is similar to his EP, kind of an indie folk feel. However, he has some great additions to the instrumentation and vocals. In addition to guitar and drums, there is also a cello. I personally love cello in anything and it really adds something extra even though it usually isn't seen in the folk genre. The addition of Krista Masino as background vocals and harmony is awesome. Her voice fleshes out the melodies nicely and complements Aarons voice. It gives this album a fuller sound than the bare bones EP. 

Now, on to some of the individual tracks. The first track has no lyrics, but has empty radio white noise and a piano playing steady chords in progression. It just really effectively sets up the tension and feeling of the album and the zombie apocalypse. It seamlessly segues into the first song, Flesh and Bone, one of my favorites. It captures the futility of living in this world. You will either become food a part of the zombie horde. Fields at Daybreak has this monotonous guitar  underpinning that reflects the monotony the people in the apocalypse experience, killing zombie after zombie. But to what avail? The Front Lines is a dark song that reveals the darkness and despair of fighting a war against the undead. The militaristic drum beats bring to mind war in a subtle way that also makes a slightly different style than the rest of the songs. A Lock for You is from the perspective of a zombie (or someone who is turning into a zombie) that features some of my favorite lyrics, like "A taste of you in me/ Ties us eternally." All of the songs have their own unique elements, but mesh well together to create a very successfully, enjoyable album. 

So many of these songs capture the emotion and feeling of a situation like this shockingly well. I like that Aaron writes from the perspective of both humans and zombies to get a full view of the world he's describing. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for anything else Aaron is involved in because these songs are not only part of a genre I love, but they are superb. I highly recommend both this album, Remaining Days, and the Run for Your Life EP. You can listen to them all in the widget above or on his bandcamp. You can also purchase the CD or digital album at his site. 

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins