Daily Staff Writer

“Halloween Hootenanny”

Various Artists

Thanks to Rob Zombie and his new Zombie A Go-Go label, “Thriller” and “Monster Mash” are no longer the only songs creatures of the night have to listen to on Halloween.

“Halloween Hootenanny,” a new compilation of music to terrorize by, is out just in time to inspire the spirits and phantoms of the night to hit the streets for some ghoulish haunting this Halloween.

The album can be the perfect soundtrack for any Halloween soiree with its surf, rockabilly, garage-rock and lounge-style tunes.

The compilation features some familiar names, like Reverend Horton Heat, Rob Zombie, Rocket From the Crypt and Southern Culture on the Skids, but it also has its share of unfamiliar faces.

The hootenanny kicks off with legendary horror movie show host Zacherle introducing the album with his spooky, Vincent Price-sounding voice.

One of the greatest aspects is that a lot of unlikely artists have paired up with some interesting results.

Rob Zombie sings vocals on “Halloween (She Get So Mean)” backed up by The Ghastly Ones, an offering that stirs in something new in the White Zombie brew — reverb-soaked surf guitar.

Los Straightjackets’ version of “The Munsters Theme” marks a high point for the album, kindling memories of Herman, Eddie and the whole Addams Family-parodying gang.

Lesser known artists have concocted some impressive tunes that add flavor to the comp as well.

Swingin’ Neckbreakers’ “No Costume, No Candy” sounds like Mudhoney gone psycho-billy, and Frenchy lends uniqueness to the CD with the smooth lounge-style tune “Ribcage Mambo,” abounding with the refreshing sound of a xylophone.

The only flaw of the CD is that it tends to get a bit repetitive after a while, but this can be corrected by listening to the compilation in short spurts.

As it explores the uncharted territory of Halloween music, “Halloween Hootenanny” overall makes a fun album to pull out each fall, or any time of year since many of the songs are worthwhile surf and rockabilly tunes.

It’s a graveyard smash.

3 1/2 stars out of five

— Conor Bezane

“Redhot and Rhapsody: the Gershwin Groove”

Various Artists

The influence of George Gershwin on American music has been considerable. So it is only fitting he should be the subject of honor on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

In addition to being a composer of far-reaching influence on the stage and screen, Gershwin helped to establish the United States as a serious contender among the more musically “serious” nations of the world who have given us Chopin, Beethoven and Mozart.

Gershwin was our first major contribution to the serious music world, even though his first attempt at opera, “Porgy and Bess,” was considered a miserable failure when it opened.

“Redhot and Rhapsody: the Gershwin Groove” is a compilation of tributes to America’s premiere song stylist and is essential for the collection of fans of Gershwin.

After all, they should be well accustomed to hearing such classics as “Summertime,” “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Rhapsody in Blue” sung by a variety of crooners for decades.

In terms of surprises, there aren’t many.

These aren’t alternative, rap or country versions of old songs. There are no special twists as such. They are, for the most part, simply and elegantly performed renditions of American standards.

It does make a nice introduction to an important American artist for those who find it too hard to get into the mature stuff. If your grandma would like it, would you?

Some of the better tracks are “It Ain’t Necessarily So” by Morcheeba and Hubert Laws, “I Got Plenty of Nothin'” by Spearhead and Ernest Ranglin, “Nice Work If You Can Get It” by Majestic 12 and a hilarious remix of the classic “Peter Sellers Sings George Gershwin” by Beastie Boy keyboardist Money Mark.

Other tracks to note are “But Not for Me” by Natalie Merchant, “Someone to Watch Over Me” by Sinead O’Connor and “A Foggy Day in London Town” by David Bowie and Angelo Badalamenti.

3 1/2 stars out of five

— Greg Jerrett

“Lucky Eye”

Flat Duo Jets

Flat Duo Jets is just that — flat.

And its new album definitely clears up the question of why a 13-year-old rockabilly band is still relatively unheard of. Simply put, the band sucks a lot.

Despite the change to a new label, which usually can result in some improvement, the hip-swingin’ sound that was hyped is nowhere to be found.

It is hard to make it past the first three songs. In fact, the album cannot be listened to all the way through without turning off the CD player and fleeing the room to let the suckiness evaporate a little before resuming.

Now, rockabilly in itself is not necessarily bad; there are a few decent bands out there from the genre. Unfortunately, this is not one of them.

Flat Duo Jets is closer to a full-fledged hillbilly front-porch band, like the one from “Sling Blade,” but trying to be funky and failing miserably.

If you ever meet someone who professes to liking Flat Duo Jets, they are either lying or should be avoided as much as possible. They have obviously been possessed by whatever evil influence possessed the record label to mass produce this garbage.

The best that can be said about Flat Duo Jets is that it is at least trying. Maybe.

0 stars out of five

— Justin Purdy

“The Pace is Glacial”

Seam

Indie rock has never sounded better than on Seam’s new Touch and Go release “The Pace is Glacial.” Melodically fluent with thick, resounding instrumentation, the CD is a musical exploration complete with poetic lyrics and twinkling guitars.

The Chicago songsmiths have put forth another strong album of somber, but enticing masterpieces. Rarely does an album have you listening to it all the way through, three or for times a day for weeks; but this one does.

Opening track “Little Chang, Big City” begins quietly with a clean, tranquil chord progression, which picks up when the drums kick in. The fuzzy, distorted chorus riff is interrupted later by the distant sound of a voice that sounds like a mother singing a lullaby.

The addictive quality of the album can be heard on “Intifada Driving School,” which checks in as one of the most catchy tunes on the disc, and “Pale Marble Movie” briefly breaks into a chord progression reminiscent of The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Soul to Squeeze.”

Many of the songs go on for six or seven minutes, but time is not a factor when listening to this album. Each tune glides along and the whole album goes by in a blink.

The pace is great.

5 stars out of five

— Conor Bezane

“Actual Sounds and Voices”

Meat Beat Manifesto

Do you like aliens? Would you like to be a robot? Sure, we all would. Well, now you can with “Actual Sounds and Voices,” the latest release from Meat Beat Manifesto.

No need to buy expensive cybernetic implants or risk costly surgery. All of your post-modern, cyberpunk-future, dance favorites are included in this easy-to-use CD, which comes with its own handy carrying case and plenty of sound bites woven into a sweet and nasty melange of danceable grooves.

The overall mood of the album is hypnotic. It’s like being bombarded by some kind of electrified, shamanistic ritual which uses repetition to lull you into the songs and a false sense of security before it kicks your ass by inundating you with voices and bites from various B-movies and interviews.

The lyrics don’t exactly jump off the tracks, but they are presented well in the context of the album. They come off better than average for a hip Euro-dance album.

“Acid Again” is the best track on the album. It sounds like that VW Bug commercial where the woman drones on endlessly about what the skies were like when she was a child.

Same kind of thing, the trance-like repetition of syllables in a pagan techno festival which gets inside your head and trashes it like Keith Richards at the Motel 6, but in a good way.

4 stars out of five

— Greg Jerrett