Zombie Tunes 4

* Like Ooh-Aah by Twice



Twice is a K-pop girl group and this song is about finding love. The beginning of the song speaks of people being attracted to them in one way or another and not leaving them alone, which is comically portrayed with these zombies. The scenes with the zombies are my favorite because the girls are dancing so happily while these creatures would love to eat them. The ending has one being cured presumably by their music or maybe love. It's a light and fluffy portrayal of zombies.

* Last One by The Aces



The song starts out super sugary sweet, not only in their almost overstrained smiles but in the constant eating and presence of gummy bears. As the video goes on, the girls look worse and worse until they are zombies. As zombies, they lose that oversmiley facade and show how they really feel. The song itself is about being tired of an ex sneaking into their songs and promising over and over that this will be the last one, perhaps making the zombism represent obsession over the past relationship. The teddy bear was hilarious with its sign that says "You have 5 days to live."

* Big Zombie by Mekons



Despite the lively beat, this song seems a bit melancholy. The singer drives around town during the zombie apocalypse looking for dinner. He says several times that he's the big zombie and doesn't feel human tonight. I imagine that would be true if  you were surrounded by zombies.

Zombie Tunes 3: The Zombeatles

The Zombeatles is a parody band that comes from Wisconsin that remade many songs from The Beatles with a zombie's perspective while dressing up as zombified versions of the band complete with new names: Jaw Nlennon, Pall Ickartney, Gorge Harryson, Dingo Scarr, Killy Essen, and Eat Breast. Besides the tracks below, the song on their album Meat the Zombeatles are Hey Food, Dead Prudence, Ate Brains a Week, Halp!, She Dead, and I'm Eating Through You.

* A Hard Day's Night of the Living Dead



This video is super fun. Since they're all zombies, the band doesn't sing everything prefectly and devolve a lot into groans and cries for brains. The scenes of the zombies doing household chores is pretty hilarious. The end of the song kind of falls apart because they're zombies and found other things to focus on, like brains.

* A Want to Eat Your Hand



This one has a bit more actual singing in it, which is nice. The hilarity is in the lyrics like "When I much you, I don't feel so empty inside." It's a cute, silly parody of I Want to Hold Your Hand that has just enough zombie growls for flavor.

* All You Need is Brains Mockumentary



This mockumentary chronicles the rise of the Fab Gore in an alternate history where the zombie apocalypse has happened. It is like a Behind the Music type feature where they exist alongside a bunch of other zombie groups like The ZomMonkees, The Rolling Kidney Stones, Elvis Grisly, Boo Marley, Dead Zeppelin, and The Beach Boils. I don't think this is available online, but you can buy it on DVD on their website.

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

Kris Pulaski founded a metal band in the 90's called Durt Wurk with her high school best friend Terry Hunt. They were on the verge of something big when Terry threw a tantrum and ruined it for them all. He split from the group, made them all sign contracts to never play music again and sign over ownership of their music among other things, and left them. Twenty years later, Terry is the height of corporate rock music while Kris is reduced to managing a Best Western. She rediscovers her love of music and sets out to reunite with her bandmates, confront Terry over his betrayal, and make music again.

We Sold Our Souls mixes a deal with the devil, a Lovecraftian cult, and a scrappy metal band to create its weird and wonderful mythology. It all starts with Kris moldering at the Best Western, struggling to deal with naked, deranged patrons.  Because of Terry and his contracts, Kris has no prospects or real future. I am completely on board with her when she sets out to rebuild her band and face Terry. The situation is all the more heartbreaking when their relationship is shown. She and Terry grew up together, mourned legends, traded tapes, learned music, and finally founded Durt Wurk together. He threw it all away to become the Blind King and head Koffin, the most commercially successful and soulless metal band. It merges the commercial nature of Kiss mixed with Nickelback, only with metal music. Melanie is a huge fan of their music who is disillusioned and drowning in college debt. She proves to be significant to the story in surprising ways.

I love the way Hendrix talks about music. Kris started out as a kid in a basement struggling to make music with hurting hands and strings only to transcend the pain and frustration when she finally plays the opening chords of Iron Man. The same music heard by thousands finally came out of her own guitar. Later on, Durt Wurk played for a different crowds (hostile and not) and succeeded in transforming them with their music and energy. Melanie and Kris bond over their shared love of Dolly Parton (after butting heads over their differing views of Koffin) and pass the time singing her music all the way to Vegas. The manufactured to appeal to the widest audience type of music fro Koffin is described very differently than Durt Wurk's earnest and heartfelt but imperfect songs. The way music is described borders on magical but feels accurate. It has a way of bonding lovers of the same music and transforming listeners and performers alike.

The horror elements took me by surprise. I thought it would be similar to The Devil's Candy or something more straightforward. The creatures that gave Terry the contracts are bigger and more monstrous than our perception allows us to see. They never communicate directly because they don't even speak the same language. The minions are only aware that they know human greed and feast on souls. Their main minions are cookie cutter UPS drivers that aren't much more than automatons. In addition, all the followers of Koffin act as their eyes and ears. When enough followers gather, they stop truly being individuals and answer commands to destroy. Kris isn't safe anywhere. The creatures have already gotten to anyone that might matter to her and every person is a potential informant or attacker. The eldritch nature of the villains plus their far feaching eyes and ears keeps the suspense and sense of danger high as the novel moves along.

We Sold Our Souls is a treat to read. There are so many different elements that Hendrix melds together to make this unique novel. I loved everything from the music to the characters to the villainous monsters. The story is a love letter to metal music that still critiques the negative things about it like how women can be harassed at concerts. I have no issues with this book and I loved how it ended like it started. I highly recommend this and any other Grady Hendrix novel.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Zombie Tunes Part 1

Tunes to nom brains to!

* Zombies by Lacuna Coil



This song is a little different than the usual zombie song. Zombies are the downtrodden and ignored that can unite to rise up as one. It's nice to see a song that personifies zombies. Lacuna Coil sets itself apart from other metal bands with the contrast between Cristina Scabbia's beautiful high voice and Andrea Ferro's much rougher and deeper voice that is sometimes almost a gutteral scream.

* Dead and Bloated by Stone Temple Pilots



This is another song from the point of view of a disgusting, rotted zombie. The melody has an almost country lilt that highlights the humor of the ironic lyrics. It seems to be about some kind of betrayal that other people are dismiss as being part of life. This one's a fun listen even though the subject is morbid.

* Carrion Flowers by Chelsea Wolf



Carrion flowers refers to those bizarre flowers that smell like corpses, but this song also uses it to refer to zombies. They are definitely creatures of habit, mindlessly eating and attacking, and grow from repeated crimes as the dead rise from killings or from the crimes of society that caused it. Slow and relentless, they are after you. The unique style features her ethereal soprano vocals over electronic music that evoke heavy metal. I found Chelsea Wolfe looking for zombie songs, but I'll definitely check out some of her other songs.  

The Devil's Candy

A family has just moved into a beautiful home in rural Texas. Jesse works hard as an artist to support his wife and daughter. Although more interested in metal and dark, original art, he opts to paint butterflies for banks to pay the bills. His daughter Zooey struggles to fit in at school and his wife Astrid is worried about money. While all this is going on, they have no idea about the grisly murder that took place their and how the murderer will obsessively return to do his master's bidding.

When I heard Sean Byrne directed another film after The Loved Ones, I knew I had to see it. The Devil's Candy doesn't disappoint. It starts out as many horror films do with a loving family moving into a new house. This family is a little different than the usual clean cut variety. Jesse has a long hair, a torso full of tattoos, and a love of heavy metal music. His daughter has a tattoo of her own and dreams of playing a red, flying V guitar for a crowd of adoring fans. His wife Astrid has dyed hair and sometimes smokes weed with him to unwind after a hard day. It's so refreshing to see this depiction of a family because people are incredibly judgmental about dyed hair, tattoos, metal music, etc and tend to value them as degenerate or somehow negative. That shouldn't be the case at all especially seeing these things more and more in everyday life. One of the things that annoys me the most is the use of metal music to denote evil. I see it all the time at events like Universal's Halloween event and it never felt true to me. Here, Jesse and Zooey sing along to it together, much to Astrid's chagrin, and have bonded over the music. It even serves to keep the sinister voices at bay for our main villain, Ray. I hope to see more stories like this that go against outdated, traditional ideals.

The forces of evil in the film come in different forms. First is Ray, visually striking in his bright red track suit. He hears the voice of the devil telling him to commit the most gruesome acts of violence, starting with killing his own parents. I felt a bit of sympathy for him because he obviously didn't want to commit these acts, but succumbed to the voices when he couldn't stand it anymore. His main targets after his parents are children, dubbed the devil's candy, and he's shown watching televangelists while he dismembers them. Once he isn't trying to fight against his urges, Ray is completely terrifying, evidenced by how easily he killed the police protecting Jesse's home. The second force of evil is presumably the devil, tormenting both Ray and Jesse with constant whispers that won't quiet unless obeyed. The third comes in a Faustian bargain. The devil's whispers put Jesse into a trance and he paints the most eerie, magnificent paintings of his whole career. Belial Studios, decked out in stereotypical red, offers him the deal of a lifetime essentially at the expense of his family. Jesse steadfastly refuses anything that would put his family in danger, which is rare to see. The different forms of evil assaulting the family and the villain on all sides

The film is visually and aurally amazing, as was The Loved Ones. My favorite scene is a montage that merges Ray's murder and dismembering of children and Jesse's painting. It would seamlessly switch between them and sometimes show both in a split screen. As the montage went on, it grew more and more difficult to discern which was paint and which was blood. It was both macabre and beautiful. The uses of red as evil stand out in interesting ways even though the concept isn't particularly innovative. The music has a wide range, of course with a lot of metal bands such as Slayer, Sunn O))), and Machine Head. One scene features some sacred music by a female Gregorian Chant group, Aurora Surgit. After Zooey is captured by Ray and she's laying on his bathroom floor, a gorgeous version of Dies Irae, a song about the day of judgment, plays while she is figuring out how to escape. The music becomes dramatic and accented as Ray frantically looks for her after she's finally escaped. The music suits the mood of the scene exactly.

The Devil's Candy has aspects of The Loved Ones, but feels completely different. Every aspect from the acting to the visuals to the music is well crafted. I truly felt for the family since their dynamic was realistic and heartfelt. Seeing how much crap happened to them made me genuinely upset me. Sean Byrne has earned my confidence and I will watch any movie with his name attached. Both films are very different than other films in the genre and this one is easily on of the best of the year. I can't wait to see what else he can come up with.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

SDCC 2017 Panels Part 1: Composers and Jim Lee

* Anatomy of a Superhero Panel

I went to this panel by accident, thinking it was the Anything Goes with John Barrowman one. This one had a variety of superhero movie or TV composers talking about their craft, challenges, and projects. Mark Isham, famous for the TV soundtrack Once Upon a Time, composed the soundtrack to the upcoming Marvel show Cloak and Dagger. Ludwig Goransson composed the soundtrack to the upcoming Marvel film Black Panther. Brian Tyler composed the most superhero soundtracks with Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Mark Beltrami unfortunately couldn't make it to the panel. David Russo composed the soundtrack to the DC show Gotham. Lorne Balfe, who composed The Lego Batman movie, moderated the session.



A video montage of each composer with snippets of their work and the TV and movie played on the screen. Each talked a little about their projects and played a clip. Brian Tyler's was my favorite because he talked about using music to portray the aftermath of Frigga's death, a beautiful funeral rite with no dialogue. Goransson talked about recording the music for Black Panther in Senegal and Africa. Russo talked about the swift schedule for Gotham where he had a lot of freedom to explore themes with the trust of producers. The consensus of the panel was that film is a medium to luxuriate in themes and explore more while TV is more about speed and making fast changes when needed. They all have different opinions about conducting their work in the studio. Brian Tyler prefers to conduct as a self admitted control freak, which makes sense since a different conductor can make a work sound vastly different. Mark Isham, on the other hand, prefers to be in the listening booth to address producer problems quickly sometimes only based on their facial expressions. He also admits to not being a great conductor and wants to take lessons to improve his skill.

Audience questions were decent. One asked if failed or rejected themes ever came back in different works. Only Brian Tyler had done so and realized it after the fact. Another asked about the lack of diversity in their industry, which stunned the panel a little bit. Balfe tried to clumsily dismiss the woman's criticism, but others like Isham talked about steps they were personally taking to help with the issue. Russo was the first to admit that the industry is mostly comprised of white men, which is an uncomfortable thing to address on a panel of white men. Another question was if they miss performing. Goransson performs regularly with Childish Gambino as a DJ. Russo was in a band for years before composing and misses it. Overall, the panel was an unexpected delight. I was especially excited to see Brian Tyler as he was the only one I recognized from my movie soundtrack collection.

* Jim Lee

Jim Lee is always a delight to see in any panel situation. He draws art filmed on a projector while answering various questions or generally talking about his life and career. He drew a portrait of Wonder Woman during most of the panel and did a hurried portrait of Batman at the end. He talked a lot about his life. He moved to the US as a child from Korea and didn't know how to read or write English. Comic books helped him learn English first from following the action with just the art and transitioning over time to reading the words. His parents wanted him to be a doctor, but he chose to follow his passion for comics. However, they still hold high expectations for him. Lee started out as a huge fan in a time when the audience for comics was much smaller. One of his big motivators for the job was not having to interact with a lot of other people, but the industry has vastly expanded and meeting fans at convention became a regular part of his job. When he first started his job, he expected the writers to have years of plot planned out and was very surprised when a writer asked him to choose his favorite Marvel characters to write a story about.



Lee talked about how his style of art changed as he has gotten older. As a young artist, he packed each frame full of stuff to impress and become a sought after artist. As his career solidified and he didn't have to try to impress anymore, he was more contemplative about conveying the story and what is needed in each frame to do that. He answered quite a few audience questions and it would have been nice if less of those audience members treated it as a signing session when it wasn't. My favorite audience member didn't ask a question, but gave Jim Lee his own drawing of Wonder Woman. The best moment of all was when Jim Lee gave Scott Williams a Batman Rolex watch as a surprise gift for their 30 years of work together and gave a heartfelt speech about their relationship (video above). Williams in turn gave an emotional speech about their collaboration in the X-Men issue 258 cover and how it was a huge turning point for him. If you ever get the opportunity to see Jim Lee in person, go! He's always hilarious, very kind, and incredibly talented.

Keep an eye out for more SDCC!

Halloween Tunes: Survivor Girl: Gets Out Alive EP

Imagine Norman Bates fronting a rock and roll band in the 50's. This is how the band Survivor Girl describes themselves and it's accurate. They take a classic, familiar sound and make it fun by adding a dash of horror and homicide from the perspective of horror film villains. We get to hear their feelings, thoughts, and frustration in their quest for that unattainable final girl.

Some of these song could be mistaken for regular 50's love ballads, but upon closer scrutiny, reveal their creepy underbelly of slasher film influence. Their self titled theme song is super catchy and offers a new view of how these villains feel about their final girls. Just the Two of Us sounds like a perfect love song until he says he wants to hold her until her lips turn blue. Through the Peephole sounds the most sinister, but still remains upbeat. It's literally from the perspective of Norman Bates as he leads Marion to her room, makes her a sandwich, spies on her, and finally kills her. "You, me, and mother makes three" is the best line from this song. The last song is My Hellbound Heart  presumably from the view of Pinhead about his final girl, Kirsty, from Hellraiser. All of these are well written, fun, and catchy songs that are perfect for the Halloween season. This album is available for free download on Survivor Girl's Bandcamp site.

Halloween Tunes: Horror Movie Edition

These songs influenced by horror films set the tone for the rest of the month. 

* Teen Slasher Parody by Common Shiner's Social Masochist

Teenage Jason Vorhees goes to Wes Craven's Slasher High School and has a huge crush on the most beautiful girl in school. Unfortunately she goes out with the popular meathead Michael Myers who hangs out with other popular jocks Leatherface and Pinhead. His best friend is Freddy Krueger and his classmates include Candyman, Leslie Vernon, Pennywise, the Creeper, Ghostface, Jigsaw, and the Collector and probably a lot more. The song is upbeat and fun. The story is adorable: a cute romantic comedy involving horror movie villains. I love all the little easter eggs like his love's IM handle being girl1976 is a huge clue to her identity. The ending is pure horror film homage and just perfect.  

* Lotion by Greenskeeper

This song is from the point of view Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs (one of the best horror movies ever) who kept women in his basement well, forcing them to lotion their skin so he could make a woman suit from their skins. The song is catchy and shows Bill's nonchalant attitude about capturing women, keeping them, making them in to clothing, and maybe eating them a little too. I love the mentions of Precious, his cute little fluffy white dog and of course his famous lines from the film.

* Pet Sematary by The Ramones

Based on the movie Pet Sematary, the song takes a lot from the movie and captures creepy, dark visuals. While I have plenty of problems with the film, there's no denying that many of the scenes are iconic, memorable, and super creepy. I would also agree that I wouldn't want to be buried there, rise, and kill all of my loved ones.

What are your favorite horror songs? 

The Silver Swan

Alexander Feldman is a virtuoso violinist and well regarded teacher who is sought after for his talents and revered by the music community. He is also volatile, passionate, and sometimes cruel. In the middle of his career, he bought the Silver Swan, a Stradivarius cello, to play for his career and pass on to his daughter, Mariana. She performs and teaches well herself, but abruptly quits her career after a failed concert and a scandal involving a years long affair with a married conductor. Now, she focuses on taking care of her father as a passes 90 years old. He passes away and leaves her a note, detailing his decades long affair with another woman. Then another bomb drops when he leaves the beloved and priceless Silver Swan to that woman's son, Claude Roselle, so the cello can continue to be heard in performance. These revelations turn Mariana's world upside down and she starts to come apart at the seams.

I am a musician and love music, so I have a hard time passing up books about music. The Silver Swan has a lot of enjoyable elements. Alexander's magnetic presence is all over the novel, even after he has died. He is wonderful and terrible all at once. His tremendous talent makes him justify his giant ego and his selfish, demanding nature. It was especially interesting to see all sides of him and how each character viewed him. Mariana sees the most of both. He wants her to succeed and become great, but he also doesn't want her to surpass him, so he puts her down whenever he can. Their relationship is complex and difficult. The musical elements are well described and actually accurate.

Unfortunately, all the characters are pretty awful. Mariana seems pretty reasonable and relatable at first, but rapidly becomes unlikable. She is so upset that her dad cheated for so long, but she had a years long affair with a married man as well. It doesn't really make sense. I'm more surprised that he didn't have more lovers and children out there. Claude is just a huge douchebag. He begins an affair with Mariana while he is in a committed relationship with someone else without disclosing it when Mariana specifically asked. He ignores his girlfriend when he's with Mariana and then Mariana when he's with his girlfriend. Then he wonders why everyone is mad at him and laments over wanting to be free from being tied down while also sleeping with any woman he wants. Claude is the whiniest, childish idiot and I kind wish he would just shut up. The whole book is like two children fighting over a toy.

Some of the plot developments got really weird and V.C. Andrews-esque. There's a really weird scene where Mariana's mom accuses her of incest and replacing her with Alexander. It was really off the wall and out of place. There was enough there to be interesting without venturing into this territory. The back cover touts it as being sensual and sexy, but it's really quite awkward and not very well written. Overall, The Silver Swan is an interesting read but has a lot of big flaws that makes it insufferable by the end.

My rating: 2/5 fishmuffins

Classical Fairy Tale Music

1) Sleeping Beauty by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky



Tchaikovsky's ballet setting of Sleeping Beauty is the definition of classic: beautiful, dream-like, and perfect. The waltz and other selections in the ballet are recognizable because the Disney film borrowed the tunes and set words to them for their 1959 animated film adaptation.

2) Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov



Rimsky-Korsakov tells Scheherazade's 1001 Nights through music. You can hear the domineering Sultan in the low, menacing opening theme, then Scheherazade can be heard in the virtuosic, playful violin solo that follows. These themes recur throughout the piece as the frame narrative as other stories are told in the different movements, like The Sea and Sinbad's Ship, The Kalendar Prince, and The Young Prince and the Young Princess. The very last movement brings in elements of all the other movements. The ending tonality of both character's themes represents the happy conclusion to their story.

3) The Firebird Suite - Igor Stravinsky



I've always like The Firebird Suite and even though I've studied the harmony and structure of the piece, I didn't know it tells the story of a Russian fairy tale. The legendary firebird helps Prince Ivan through the perils of a magical realm ruled by Kaschei the Immortal. Of course there is also a love story with a princess and it all ends happily ever after. I love that this Youtube video has a running commentary on what is happening in the story during the piece. The piece is more modern because Stravinsky plays with unconventional tonalities and chromaticisms along with his trademark bombastic rhythms.

4) The Erlking by Franz Schubert



The Erlking is a Goethe poem set to expressive and illustrative music. The Erlking or Alder King is an elf king who preys on children from Danish and German folklore, although apparently his daughter is usually the antagonist and it's been changed here. The story starts with a frantic father trying to get his sick, feverish son to a doctor. The son sees progressively more frightening visions of the Erlking and describes them for his father, who tries to reassure him. The musical setting is amazing. The opening piano part sets the scene of frantic speed and hoofbeats as the pair travel through the night. The son's descriptions of the Erlking rise in key as his fever worsens and his hallucinations become more severe. The Erlking is entreating and nice at first, but rapidly becomes threatening, always starting in the same key. The son's final cry is in the Erlking's key, followed by the funereal and sparse ending phrase. It's my favorite of his lieds and a wonderful setting to a sad but awesome poem.

Internet Awesomeness: Halloween Edition

Wonderful Halloween themed videos from the internet!

1) Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf by Rob Cantor



I've posted about this song before, but it's never been seen like this. The song is performed by Rob Cantor backed by a band, a full orchestra, a choir, and even a troupe of dancers. It has a new ending and a surprise twist after the song is over. The song as always is hilarious, but even more so with all the added performers and gravitas.

2) Modern Monster Mash by Key of Awesome



Everyone knows the Monster Mash, but this parody song introduces modern monsters such as Leatherface, Jigsaw, Hannibal Lecter, and Michael Myers. Poor Frankenstein just isn't prepared for the amount of carnage they provide. It's hilarious and catchy.

3) IKEA Singapore Commercial - The Shining



This fun IKEA commercial captures the creepy atmosphere of Stanley Kubrik's The Shining perfectly.

4) GEICO Commercial - Horror film



Ah, the hapless victims of horror films and their wonderful decision making skills. I especially like the killer's eyeroll and "Let's hide behind the chainsaws!"

My Favorite Horror Themes Part 2

1) Bram Stoker's Dracula by Wojciech Kilar



This horror theme is epic. The low strings sound powerful at the beginning with the hammering of the piano in the background. It builds drama quickly and works perfectly with the intro of the film, which introduces Dracula when he was alive and his story with Elizabeta. The male choir in the middle of the piece sounds sinister and creepy and then the high soprano comes in with the mournful love theme. Then, the music builds with repetitive rhythms and adding instruments and voices into a huge crescendo, ending with a quiet, but menacing bass ostinato (a phrase that repeats over and over in the same voice). Kilar wrote beautiful and deeply emotional music that reflects the film perfectly.

2) Jaws by John Williams



This theme is incredibly simple, but never fails to instill dread in the viewer. This theme makes the entire film and makes it one of the most suspenseful and scary films I've ever seen. I've seen it countless times and I still jump at parts of it.

3) Psycho by Bernard Hermann



This theme is iconic and quite simple. It's just screeching high violins, but illustrates the scene insanely well. Although this theme is the most famous of the film, the entire soundtrack is amazing and worth listening to. It helps create and maintain the ominous atmosphere at the Bates Motel.

4) The Village by James Newton Howard



I don't enjoy this film, mostly due the poor twist ending, but there's no denying that the score is fantastic. This is my favorite part of it called The Gravel Road. The sweeping violin lines, the sparse arrangement, and the constant movement of the background instruments make for a beautiful atmosphere. The soundtrack definitely outshines the film.

5) Lady Vengeance by Choi Seung-Hyun



This whole soundtrack is simply gorgeous. It features newly composed music in a baroque style that goes well with the elegance and beauty of the film's cinematography. Harpsichord isn't a typical instrument and it adds something special to music.

What are your favorite film themes?

My Favorite Horror Film Themes Part 1

I love horror films and so many of them have classic, instantly recognizable themes. They also set the mood of the film and give the viewer the feeling of suspense and dread. Here are my favorites!

1) Halloween theme by John Carpenter



This theme is deceptively simple. It's essentially the same pattern repeated over and over, but the treble pattern with the slower bass line really creates an air of tension. Just hearing the theme gives me an ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach. The music is also what makes the film so effective. It isn't very gory and doesn't have a lot of jump scares, so it relies on suspense and the music is what creates a lot of that mood.

2) Ave Satani from the Omen by Jerry Goldsmith



The Ave Satani is one of the most creepy sounding pieces of music I've ever heard. It just makes my stomach drop with dread. Fun story: my sister requested I have this as her ringtone when she calls me and she called me when I was rehearsing with my flute trio. I was just going to keep going through the piece and wait to call her back, but the other girls were so freaked out they stopped and had to know where the music was coming from. This piece is amazing. The full orchestra with the choir work well together and sounds like a twisted, warped version of classical sacred music.

3) The Descent theme by David Julyan



The theme from The Descent isn't like the others in this list. It doesn't cause tension or dread. It's actually quite serene and relaxing to listen to. The mix of strings and horns is beautiful, but once the low brass comes in, there is a dark undercurrent that ruins the consonance of the instruments. It's a bit unsettling, but not overly so and lets you know that ending is not as much of a relief as it appears. The score for the whole film is ambient music at its best, but I could just listen to this track over and over again.

4) The Nightmare on Elm Street theme by Charles Bernstein



This theme is admittedly a bit dated, but the use of synthesizers in no way lessens the unsettling feeling. The beginning just builds tension with extended high pitches that go from consonant to dissonant and back until that creepy, mocking children's theme comes in. Then the theme comes in earnest with dashes of that mocking children's theme. I heard this theme in one of the scare zones at Knott's Halloween Haunt and I was immediately looking around for monsters and uneasy. It was odd to hear it there since there was no other Freddy related things during the event, but it was certainly effective in that scare zone.

5) Helen's theme from Candyman by Philip Glass



Philip Glass uses his classical style and his minimalist technique to provide the perfect ambience for the Candyman film. It has such an innocent but melancholy music box sound. It illustrates Helen and the Candyman's shared plight as tragic figures, one succeeding the other. This one is also not scary or tense, but it's memorable and focuses on the more subtle themes of the film, not painting the Candyman as a flat villain.

What are your favorite horror film themes?

Internet Awesomeness: Horror Edition

* Sharon Needles - Call Me on the Oujia Board



Sharon Needles was the winner of the 4th season of RuPaul's Drag Race and wowed the judges and viewers with her dark, horror inspired look and quirky personality. She stays true to her roots with this super catchy song and video that references numerous horror films: The Omen, Poltergeist, The Bad Seed, The Exorcist, Children of the Corn, and It. The song is dancey and upbeat, which appeals to wider audience, while still having her signature style. I especially love the Pennywise outfit at the end.

* Carrie Prank



To market the new Carrie remake, MGM and Screen Gems orchestrated a prank to shock New York coffee shop customers. A girl seems to have telekinetic powers and wrecks havoc after a guy spills coffee on her laptop. The prank is fairly elaborate and looks realistic, using spring loaded pictures and books, remote control tables and chairs, and an impressive stunt. It could be put on a movie screen and look quite impressive. The reactions of the patrons are priceless.

* Rasputina - Transylvanian Concubine



I first heard this song as Drusilla danced to it on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It has a deliciously dark sound thanks to the cellos and captures the allure and danger of vampirism well.

Zombies at Disneyland

I went to Disneyland yesterday just looking to take in a nice show and relax. I've become fond of the Mad T Party in California Adventure over the last month or so. It features Wonderland characters as a band in fun, rocked out outfits playing dance music, pop songs, classic rock, and mashups. There are also dancers at the House of Cards and a White Rabbit DJ to entertain in between the band's sets. I had no idea there would be zombies there! As you know, it was Friday the 13th, which is a big Villain Day celebration at Disneyland. Plus they chose that date to kick off their kickass Halloween decorations and Halloween themed rides (the Haunted Mansion invaded by The Nightmare Before Christmas and Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy).

Anyways, the set starts out like usual. The band is energetic and plays through their usual three sets (with half hour breaks in betwee). But at the end of each of them, they close with this awesome song:



Do they look different in the second version to you? They started out with normal stage makeup and then with each set, the make up got darker and more sinister, hollowing out their cheek bones and eye sockets. They also would randomly shuffle, walk stiffly, or look like they felt woozy in the middle of songs, slowly succumbing to the zombie plague.The final transformation included black light makeup, heavier zombie makeup, and cobwebs.

Their final set was all new and never before seen. They performed Enter Sandman by Metallica, Bring Me to Life by Evanescence, Devil Inside by INXS, One Way or Another by Blondie, Disturbia by Rhianna, The Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Thriller by Michael Jackson. Here are my favorites of the set:







This show was amazing. The crowd was the biggest I've ever seen there and the energy and excitement were contagious. So, zombies at Disneyland. Who would've thought?

* First picture from Dani Kerry's Facebook and the rest from Melanie K Photography.

Internet Awesomeness: Zombie Edition 3

More zombie songs!

1) Zombies Ate Her Brain by The Creepshow



This cheery brain-nomming song is super catchy and upbeat. The Creepshow feature their psychobilly fashion and aesthetic well with a bit of humor thrown in. The first part of the video is in black and white with a style like the old Universal monster movies, which was a nice homage to the original monster movies.

2) The Zombie Song by Lawrence Cockrill



This song is from Songbook for the Civilized Zombie series that takes place in an alternate Britain that suffered a zombie outbreak in 1984. So the beginning is a PSA for the Lazarus Quincy Institute that rehabilitates zombies to not be ravenous eating machines. I really like the animation style and the actual song is cute and educational.

3) Zombie Love Song by Ray Johnson



This sweet love song is about a zombie that meets a girl online and doesn't just want to eat her brains, but also wants to steal her heart. The braaaaaaaaaaaaains chorus is funny and like zombies trying to sing. The animation isn't super detailed, but illustrates the song well, especially the Pacman clip. Wouldn't you date a zombie if he or she sang this song for you?

4) Never Look Back by The Nearly Deads



I love this song! Their sound is kind of like an indie Paramore. The song is awesome and captures the zombie apocalypse well. Their video is full of zombies and zombie references. Did you notice the Umbrella Corp symbol? or the Zombie Survival Guide being read? I like that it starts of looking like a normal day, but then BAM zombies.

More zombies to come! Stay tuned!

Seraphina

The Kingdom of Goredd was once at war with dragons, but a treaty was forged between them to keep the peace. Dragons now take human form to be part of human society where they can make advances in the fields of math and science. Many humans still hate dragons and condemn the treaty as folly. Conflicts between humans and dragons are increasing and becoming more dangerous as the fortieth anniversary of the treaty nears. Seraphina Dombegh is an incredibly talented musician who works to hide the true extent of her talent. She wants attention as far away from her as possible because she is half dragon and half human. Recently hired as a court musician and apprentice to the court composer, she arrives on the scene just in time for a member of the royal family to be murdered in a suspiciously draconian manner: beheaded and the head missing. Seraphina stumbles upon the investigation when she observes suspicious behavior and wants to uncover the truth that may be tied to her own draconian family. Paired with the captain of the Queen's guard, Lucian Kiggs, she will try to solve this mystery while protecting her own secrets before the treaty is completely shattered and the humans and dragons declare war in earnest.

I was interested in reading this book mostly because of the different take on dragons and the inclusion of music. I am so impressed with Seraphina. Rachel Hartman's sentient and insanely logical dragons are so intriguing and different than any portrayal I had seen before. They abhor emotion and irrationality, kind of like extreme Vulcans, but are more susceptible to both in human form. Their society even go so far as to mandate brain surgeries for those too compromised by either. These cold and intellectual creatures hold science and mathematics in the highest regard. If they attempt to play music, which is possible since it is simple mathematics at its core, they lack the emotion to give it any sort of expression. Music played a large part in the novel and I couldn't be happier about it. A lot of YA novels have music in their descriptions or a character plays an instrument, but many times, this aspect is either downplayed more than I thought it would be or completely forgotten. (I'm looking at you, Hush, Hush.) In this book, music serves as a plot device, furthering character development, and making the book simply enjoyable to read. Rachel Hartman's descriptions of music is beautiful and sensory. I wish there was a companion music album to the novel to get an idea of what the music would sound like.

The world building is magnificent in this book, but the characters are what kept me reading. Seraphina is a rare female character in YA literature. It is so refreshing to see a YA heroine who is logical and not irrationally led by her feelings to do really stupid things. Her powers of perception and deduction are impressive and, paired with her good judgment and sense, they allow her to methodically find out what really happened. Unfortunately, she has to lie a lot to keep her parentage and half dragon state a secret, which gets in the way of her investigation and distances her from others. There is a small romance subplot, but it doesn't distract from the main plot and it doesn't turn Seraphina into a blithering, brainless idiot. It was also sweet and gave Seraphina a softer side without completely destroying the strong person she is. The minor characters are just as good and well written, particularly Loud Lad and Orma, her dragon uncle.

Every time I picked up Seraphina, I was insanely happy being immersed into this wondrous world. I wanted to prolong the reading as much as possible because I know I'll have to wait a while for the next book. This is by far the most unique and well written fantasy book I have read all year that included discussion on philosophy, art, music, dance, emotion, logic, bigotry, and love. There aren't enough fishmuffins to show how much I love it. Highly recommended for lovers of dragon tales and epic fantasy.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Internet Awesomeness: Amanda Palmer Edition

I've been a huge fan of Amanda Palmer's quite a few years now in different musical configurations: as a solo performer, half of The Dresden Dolls, part of 8in8, and half of Evelyn and Evelyn. Her music is undeniably unique with her percussive piano playing and emotional way of singing. She has been the center of many a controversy, but is also recognized for her achievements. Very recently, she set up a Kickstarter to fund her new album, Theatre is Evil, recorded with The Grand Theft Orchestra that has garnered over 20,000 backers and over a million pledged dollars. It is officially the most funded music project on Kickstarter and I'm happy to be a part of it.

Here are some of the tracks from her new album that she has already leaked:

Do It with a Rockstar - It's a little more rock than she usually plays and clearly has some Bowie influences (which I love!). I like that when you look a little harder at the lyrics, it's about loneliness.



Trout Heart Replica - This is an older song that she has played live a lot over the past couples years. It's given new life with strings to fill out the sound and make the lyrics that much more poignant. The differences in texture and the relationship between the strings and piano throughout the song amazes me and makes the song even better than I remember it. (You can listen to the studio version here as it is not up on youtube yet.)



Want It Back - This is the one I will inevitably listen to over and over and over and sing it all day. It's super catchy and I already love it.  (You can listen to the studio version here as it is not up on youtube yet.)



The album will be out this September, so keep an eye out for it! It will be made of awesome!!!

Happy Single's Awareness Day!

Here are some songs for those not into Valentine's Day (which were weirdly way easier to compile than the V-Day songs)!

1) The Dresden Dolls - Coin Operated Boy



This is their first hit on their debut album and probably the song most people know by them. It's either a song about loneliness or one about sex toys. You decide. I think it's about the fear of relationships and real emotions.

2) Jenny Owen Youngs - Fuck Was I



Love is a tumor, something that will inescapably harm in the relationship in this song. It's a beautiful song with great imagery.

3) The Jane Austen Argument - Staying Single



Here are all the reasons not to be in a relationship, including some I have never heard before. I love that they include weird breakup stories from the audience that are more bizarre than I ever thought possible.

4) Voltaire - Future Ex-Girlfriend



Ah, the joys of being with intolerable people. This relationship only lasts a week, but some animosity is definitely built up. The Keanu line is the best. :)

5) Death Cab for Cutie - Tiny Vessels



This is a song from the point of view of someone awful. He told a girl he loved her, which wasn't true, and he won't talk to her about what's wrong. That girl could have no idea what is wrong and he's just going to dump her out of the blue. Douche.

Until next year!

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day again! Here are some tunes for you to listen to if you're oh so in love and feeling mushy.

1) Zombina and the Skeletones - Guess What (I Love You)



Sung from the point of view of a lovestruck girl, this song is upbeat and cute. She writes a love letter to the boy of her dreams in this rockabilly number. It's perfect for asking someone out on this Valentine's Day.

2) Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen - Formidable Marinade



This track is from Amanda Palmer's Down Under album and features Mikelangelo. The man has a voice that is so deep and sexy, I could listen to it all day. This is also one of the most disturbing love songs ever. The cannibalistic and murderous imagery is chilling, but really awesome in this song.

3) The Raveonettes - Love in a Trashcan



Although the title sounds insulting, it portrays what others think about this particular girl. The person narrating the song thinks this girl completes him (or her). I think it's actually pretty sweet.

4) Kirby Krackle - Super Powered Love



This song is sang by a guy with a superhero girlfriend. He worries about her when she goes to fight evil while he stays home. Not only is it a fun, great song, but it shows a point of view not really seen that much. It's nice that he's doesn't feel like he has to compete with her or that he's less of a man. He just wants to help her in any way he can.

5) Nightwish - Ever Dream



This is a just a gorgeous symphonic metal love song.

Hope you enjoyed! <3