Samhain
This year, the release dates for our zine issues do not coincide with what is, in Marla’s opinion, the very best holiday: Halloween. However, Nadine and Marla believe (both as witches and as devotees of seasonal delights) that the observance of that holiday is always in order. Music is, of course, a wonderful way to inspire celebration and Halloween has especially fun and phenomenal options in that regard. The perennial classic Monster Mash. Lana Del Ray’s cover of Season of the Witch. The gothic Americana murder-folk of Amigo the Devil. The entire catalogue of Rob Zombie. There are so many possibilities! So, consider the following a soundtrack to start off your celebration of this season of bonfires, black cats, hexes cast with affection, welcome leers, and lovers who understand that the strongest knots are almost never tied with rope.
Samhain Delight
Little Death by King Mala. A plea for everyone’s favorite type of death, for release so perfect it rends the veil between the corporeal and the divine.
Ghost by Depeche Mode. The definitive anthem for anyone haunted by a love – or a lover. Also Dave Gahan. That is all. (Marla has a type.)
House of Spirits by the Veils. The luscious, southern gothic lament of a man whose memory palace is a haunted house.
Bloodletting (The Vampire Song), by Concrete Blonde. No Halloween playlist is complete without this driving post-punk tribute to Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles. A classic.
Vampire at the Beach by Luvcat. A melted ice cream, dolce vita homage to the lover we all knew would “fuck us up forever.” A Eurotrash (in the best sense) fever dream that somehow evokes Frederico Fellini and George Romero. Plus, the line “Who knew demons wore Adidas?” is great.
Satan Is His Name by Holly Golightly. A delightfully slinky psychobilly cover of 1962’s Satan is Her Name by Steve King and the Echelons.
Devil’s Night by Johnny Hallow. An industrial darkwave banger that suggests that becoming whole may require entertaining both one’s angels and one’s devils. Also, it namechecks William Blake. What’s not to love?
The Killing Moon by Echo & the Bunnymen. Elegant, glittering new wave hymn to the battle between will and fate. Halloween perfection.
Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge. Smelling of strobe lights and black leather, it is a gloriously grimy yet tailored exploration of the exquisite tension between attraction and obsession.
Small Town Witch by Sneaker Pimps. A slightly dissipated trip-hop portrait of feminine menace, suburban myth, and the sort of woman everyone warns you about.
I Am a Witch by Twin Temple. Satanic doo-wop for the witch who has no intention of repenting, lowering her voice, or pretending she didn’t mean to cast the spell.
Everybody Scream by Florence + the Machine. A ecstatic invocation of performance, feminine power, and the ancient human pleasure of losing oneself in the dark with other people.
Bonus Track: The Future by Leonard Cohen. A magnificently apocalyptic prophecy of societal collapse and an ode to the fact that humans are far, far scarier than any fantasy monster. Somehow, through it all, though, Leonard Cohen makes the end of civilization sound like something you might want to fuck.