I love this album cover. It was printed by Jason Krekel of the Mad Tea (formerly Mad Tea Party).
When making a Halloween playlist, it's important to draw from all parts of the monster world. Today, since we've got a zombie vibe going on this week, I'm going to share my favorite songs about zombies.
"ZOMBIE BOOGIE", MAD TEA
The Mad Tea is a band out of Asheville, NC, that loves Halloween. For the past few years, they've released at least one song of the season. A few years ago, they released Zombie Boogie, an EP of Halloween songs. The title track is my favorite. It's something you'd expect to see over an old Fleischer cartoon and has fun lyrics like "Zombie boogie, it's a killer jive". You can snag this EP, as well as their other albums like Rock 'n' Roll Ghoul, at their .
Here's a live performance of "Zombie Boogie". Check out that scream at the end!
"ZOMBIE ME", NO MORE KINGS
No More Kings is one of those weird bands on my iPod that had one song I liked ("Sweep The Leg", a song literally about Karate Kid that features Johnny in the video), and I downloaded a few more of their songs. "Zombie Me" was one of those songs. It's a song from the zombie's perspective, telling the story of how he died (tripping over his own shoelaces) and how he feels about his untimely undeath. It's tongue in cheek and clever, and really catchy.
And for a bonus, here's "Sweep The Leg" because it's way too awesome not to share.
"FASHION ZOMBIES", THE AQUABATS!
Before they had their show on the Hub (which is so bizarre and incredible and if I had kiddos I'd make them watch it every day), the Aquabats were a super fun band. Not that they're not that anymore, but they've branched out. Their songs are infectious, quirky, and always a pick-me-up (see "Look At Me, I'm A Winner"). This particular song isn't necessarily about the undead, but it has a creepy vibe and it makes fun of people who follow dumb trends.
"RE: YOUR BRAINS", JONATHAN COULTON
Of the zombie songs on the list, this is probably the most well-known. Incidentally, it's also probably my favorite, since it addresses something I'd love to see in a zombie movie: corporate zombies. It's satisfying to listen to at work (see also "Code Monkey", "Skullcrusher Mountain", "The Future Soon" and "Big Bad World One"). It's a song that never gets old, and Mr. Geeky V and I have been known to belt this one at full volume in the car. Onlookers, be damned!
I love the constructive criticism zombie Bob offers to Tom. Zombie apocalypse as performance review is the perfect metaphor. And what does he mean, "No one's gonna eat your eyes"? How is that comforting at all?
STUBBS THE ZOMBIE SOUNDTRACK
So it's not an album of songs about zombies, but it's the soundtrack for a video game about a zombie. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse was a game for the original XBox and was a blast to play. You were Eddie Stubbs, a zombie wandering the streets in a retro-futuristic 1950s town reminiscent of our favorite B-movies. For a mid-century enthusiast like me, this game was perfect. As Stubbs, you could control people, detach your hand and have it run around like Thing from The Addams Family, and all kinds of things. There's even a bit of romance. (If you want to read more about the plot of the game, here's )
The soundtrack is a mix of indie bands covering songs from the era. Bands like Cake, Rogue Wave, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Raveonettes (some of my favorite bands) cover songs like "Strangers In The Night," "Everyday", "Earth Angel" and "My Boyfriend's Back". There's also an original song, "The Living Dead" by Phantom Planet. Highlights: "Everyday," by Rogue Wave, "If I Only Had A Brain" by the Flaming Lips, "All I Have To Do Is Dream" by the Dandy Warhols. Actually, now that I think of it, it's all highlights, really. Even if you've never heard of the game, it's worth a listen.
Here's a fun Simon meets You Got Served style boss battle you unlock within the story.
And here's Stubbs giving a Patton style speech.
"TIME OF THE SEASON", THE ZOMBIES
OK, so technically it's not a song about zombies, but it is a song by The Zombies. Plus, it's kinda creepy.
There you have it, some new additions to your playlist for the undulating undead. Any other songs about zombies you listen to every Halloween? Feel free to add them in the comments!
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