Are you afraid of the dark?

It officially looks like fall in my neck of the woods. Thanks to a steady stream of 30 mph winds, the earth is covered with multicolored leaves. The scents of autumn, the early darkness, and the typical October chill brings on some euphoric/nostalgic feeling that peeks around Halloween. This year I have a new weapon to amplify this feeling, Dead Man’s Bones, courtesy of Ryan Gosling, his friend Zach Shields and a children’s choir (of course I’ll still be watching The Worst Witch and casually reading Something Wicked This Way Comes, because those are always winners this time of year). I’ve got to hand it to Ryan and crew for helping us savor this time of year. I wonder if Gosling’s appearances on Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark and Canada’s Goosebumps as a youth had anything to do with this spooky incarnation that heavily blends themes of death and the supernatural. Don’t get me wrong, the lyrics are mostly dark and twisted, but the tone lulls the listener. Dead Man’s Bones decided to incorporate the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir, which might sound like an iffy move, but I think they pull it off brilliantly. The kids add a sound reminiscent of Arcade Fire’s ‘Wake Up’ and their lyrical content is far from G-rated. I think the song “In the Room Where You Sleep” would look sweet if it was played over the Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” video. The kids in the picture look like they could have been extras in it and the song sounds like trick-or-treating gone wrong. The song “Pa Pa Power” in undeniably catchy. I think you’ll agree. Listen to that one at you’re own risk, my brain can’t shake it out. I think it’s stuck in there. “My Body’s a Zombie For You” is unique, considering the fact that the children’s choir starts off with a soothing ‘woa oh’ chant that feels like a breezy night in my ears, and then the line “my body’s a zombie for you!” get’s added to their workload. It sounds creepy when you think about it, but hey, I’m all for pushing the envelope. You should pick up the new LP that dropped on October 6th and check out their live show while they’re on tour this month.

Dead Man’s Bones – In The Room Where You Sleep

Dead Man’s Bones – Pa Pa Power

Dead Man’s Bones – My Body’s A Zombie For You

I couldn’t do a post about an actor turned musician without mentioning Zooey Deschanel and Jason Schwartzman. Zooey is well known for being in several movies and TV shows including Elf, Yes Man, and Weeds. She’s presently working on Volume 2 with M. Ward, which will be out in 2010. Although I could post some songs from Volume 1, I decided to go the Munchausen By Proxy route. MBP is her fictional band from the movie Yes Man. MBP includes Zooey and the all girl band Von Iva. They have a handful of songs on the movie’s soundtrack along with several songs by The Eels (you should pick up the soundtrack, if you’re a girl you’ll probably love it, if you’re a guy, I think girls dig it, wink wink). These tunes are cute as hell and seriously funny to boot.

Munchausen By Proxy (Zooey Deschanel & Von Iva) – Sweet Ballad

Munchausen By Proxy (Zooey Deschanel & Von Iva) – Uh-huh

I just started watching Jason Schwartzman’s HBO show Bored to Death and it’s pretty decent. I can relate to his character on many levels, but he does come off as a true weirdo and I like to think of myself as a fake weirdo. Anyhoo, here are some songs from Schwartzman’s Coconut Records project. Enjoy.

Coconut Records – Drummer

Coconut Records – West Coast