When I was growing up no other soundtracks captured my imagination quit like those to the films of John Carpenter. John Williams’ Star Wars grabbed mine and everyone else’s attention more, how could they not with all their Wagnerian bombast, but in terms of losing myself and letting my mind run wild, nothing was better than the scores to Carpenter’s films. I was utterly captivated by Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack to “The Thing,” and Carpenter’s own synth-horror compositions for “Halloween,” “Escape From New York,” and “Prince of Darkness.” What made each of these records so remarkable was their use of minimalism, space and tension to up the terror and dread inherent in each respective films’ story lines. They were characterized by a sort of zen-like calm in the face of certain doom, as well as subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, emotional arcs. As a result, I have always felt that Carpenter’s soundtracks were early precursors to post-rock and even the minimalistic doom of bands like Sunn 0))). This belief has consistently left me wondering if Carpenter, and frequent collaborator Alan Howarth, would ever get their proper due as composers. In the past decade people have been tripping over themselves to cite Italian horror soundtrack mavens Goblin as an influence, but Carpenter and Howarth’s names have been mostly absent.That has been slowly, but surely, changing over the past couple of years as a whole new batch of electronic artists inspired by 70s and 80s soundtracks have emerged, bringing Carpenter’s name, even peripherally, with them. Last year’s “Prophesy Of The Black Widow” by Umberto and “Psychical” by Ensemble Economique both contained a healthy dose of Carpenter mixed in with a litany of other horror soundtrack influences. Now Not Not Fun label-mate Xander Harris has released “Urban Gothic,” the most overtly Carpenter-influenced modern electronic album to date. While Harris cites a laundry list of influences, new and old, it is Carpenter’s distinctly chilly synth-based sound that is most evident here. Although just as Umberto and Ensemble Economique mixed an array of genres ranging from African tribal music to disco into their reimagining of the horror soundtrack, Harris also draws inspiration from 80s synth pop and dance music to round out his own unique vision.
Complete with “Opening” and “End Credit” pieces, Harris’ “Urban Gothic” is the most linear of the modern faux-horror soundtracks that I have heard. Each piece is part of a larger, more terrorific, whole, inspired by writer Brian Keene’s book of the same name. Admittedly I haven’t read Keene’s work (although Harris’ album makes me want to), but a sampling of the book’s reviews all describe the gruesome detail that characterizes Keene’s writing. That emphasis on gore is appropriate as one can’t help but imagine buckets of blood and human viscus painting the floors and walls of “Urban Gothic’s” soundscape. But like all great horror movies from the 70s and 80s, it’s a hell of a lot of fun, even if you have to shield your eyes every now and then.
Scares notwithstanding, Harris never loses his sense of humor throughout this record. Songs like “I Want More Than Just Blood” and “Tanned Skin Dress” are certainly menacing enough, both in title and sound, thanks to the chilly synths that comprise their melodies, but they also groove like dance tracks, giving them each a knowingly playful vibe. In fact a large portion of this record could easily find its way into a club DJ’s catalog, regardless of the record’s macabre origins. On the other hand, the first time I listened to this record it was as a substitute soundtrack to the genre-mashup “Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare.” As would be expected, this album was the absolute perfect record to spin while gunning down zombies and searching for unicorns in the old west. That many of these songs can stand alone in such diverse settings, while still comprising a consistent and thorough horror narrative makes this a particularly strong album and certainly the best among like-minded releases to date. I’ve had this on repeat since first listen, and for fans of horror, dance, synth-pop or the new breed of retro-electronica, I couldn’t recommend it more, particularly if you are drawn to things that go bump in the night.
"Tanned Skin Dress"
Xander Harris - Tanned Skin Dress from Not Not Fun on Vimeo.
"When The Hammer Starts To Swing"
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